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NHS
Cyberattacks CyberCrime Cyberhackers CyberThreat Dark Web Data Breach Data Records Galloway Medical Files NHS

Dark Web Nightmare: Scots NHS Patient Data Breach Exposes Medical Files

 


Following a major data breach at NHS Dumfries and Galloway, patients can access their private medical records online with just a few clicks. It has been reported that an extremely large amount of data has been stolen from the NHS by a group known as INC Ransom. 

To keep this vast amount of personal information confidential, the group demanded a ransom and then uploaded a massive amount of information to the dark web. As a result of the cyber attack on NHS Dumfries and Galloway in March, the data of its victims has now been released onto the dark web. NHS Scotland advised potential victims to remain vigilant about cyber attacks. 

Nevertheless, the media reports claim that a search on the dark web resulted in personal information about six patients, including a disabled child aged 10 and an 81-year-old man who was disabled. In addition to providing patients' names and dates of birth, the documents also include their home addresses and even their personal email addresses, details of the patient's life and medical history, test results, and private disclosures about their condition that were made to physicians. 

In response to the Sunday Mail report, NHS Dumfries and Galloway confirmed to the newspaper that patients have been informed, but they don't know what files the hackers have or how many more individuals have been compromised. Using the dark web, cybercriminals released documents that proved they had hacked the NHS system that were easily accessed by the Sunday Mail. 

There are some of the most personal details about six patients, including an 81-year-old man who was disabled at the age of 10 and a disabled 10-year-old girl. Furthermore, the documents reveal the patient's name and date of birth, in addition to their unique numerical identifiers called CHI numbers. It also gives their home addresses, as well as one person's e-mail address.

Furthermore, they contain intimate details regarding people's lives and medical histories, as well as test results, which are disclosed to doctors privately. According to the Sunday Mail, NHS Dumfries and Galloway has informed six patients that their data has been stolen, but they have no idea how many more have been affected or what files they have on hand.

As deputy leader of Labour, Jackie Baillie asked Health Secretary Neil Gray to explain how the breach occurred and what measures are being taken to prevent it in other health boards As a result of the breach, experts warn that the people whose personal information was compromised may be vulnerable to identity theft and other kinds of fraud. Managing director of the Cybersecurity Research Centre at Abertay University, Professor Lynne Coventry, said, "Health records can contain sensitive health information as well as financial information, making them more valuable than financial records." 

As a result of the data breach, thousands of people may potentially be affected, but authorities are not yet sure how significant it will be. There have been several calls for transparency from the NHS regarding the breach, and Patrick McGuire, partner at Thompsons Solicitors, says the NHS needs to provide support to those who were affected by the breach. 

McGuire also claimed that the NHS could be faced with significant legal claims from individuals whose personal information was exposed. This has got to be one of Scotland's biggest data breaches, possibly even the whole of Scotland. McGuire stated that the amount of information is enormous. The Scottish Conservative party's health spokesman, Dr Sandesh Gulhane, has stated that those whose information has been stolen are likely to seek financial compensation and that defending these claims could prove to be a significant challenge. 

During his interview with the press, Mr Gray revealed that he must take responsibility for the mitigation of the damage and prevent future attacks by explaining to the public what actions are being taken to mitigate these damages. As a result of the scale of the attack, it is difficult for NHS Dumfries and Galloway to determine exactly what data the hackers could access or how many individuals might be impacted. Police Scotland has confirmed that an investigation is ongoing. 

According to the health board, the six patients whose information had already been published online have already been contacted. Moreover, the NHS Scotland regional board has reported that no disruptions were reported to patient-facing services due to the cyber incident and that normal operations continued. 

According to the Scottish government, the cyber attack targeted NHS Dumfries and Galloway and no further incidents have been reported across NHS Scotland as a result of the cyber attack. The company has been around since July 2023, when it appeared on the scene. Numerous organizations, including healthcare institutions, have been indiscriminately targeted by ransomware. 

The group obtains access to the enterprise via phishing emails and exploiting vulnerabilities in software resulting in exploitation of Citrix NetScaler vulnerability CVE-20233519. Using TOR, it communicates with its victims over a TOR-based portal and tracks payments using a unique ID code that is at the heart of every payment.
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Ransomware Threat
Cyber Security cyber threat Cyberattacks data security INC NHS Ransomware Threat

Data Breach Alert: 3TB of NHS Scotland Data Held Ransom by Cyber Threat

 


A ransomware group targeting a small group of patients has published clinical data related to a small number of those patients on the internet that the Dumfries and Galloway Health Board is aware of. In the meantime, three terabytes of data are also alleged to have been stolen thanks to a security breach that occurred at the National Health Service (NHS) in Scotland, by the INC Ransom extortion gang. 

 As a result of a ransomware attack in a regional branch, NHS Scotland says it has been able to contain the malware, preventing the infection from spreading to other branches and the entire organisation. A group of cybercriminals called INC Ransom claimed responsibility for the attack on NHS Scotland this week, claiming they stole three terabytes (TB) of data and leaked a limited number of sensitive documents as part of the attack. 

Earlier this month, NHS Dumfries and Galloway announced a serious cyberattack that resulted in their hospital being shut down. INC Ransom was offering samples of files that contained medical evaluations, psychological reports, and other sensitive information regarding patients and doctors in accompanying its warning posted on its extortion website. 

Despite the rumours that such a compromise had already been reached, the Scottish government made sure to emphasize that only the NHS Dumfries and Galloway regional health board was affected by this new agreement. Several days later, NHS Dumfries and Galloway officials revealed that during a breach of security two weeks ago, large quantities of personally identifiable information had been accessed, stolen, and exfiltrated, resulting in a large number of people's details being misused. 

As of July 2023, the INC Ransom operation has gained a lot of attention, targeting both government organizations as well as private businesses to extort their data for ransom. Education, healthcare and government institutions, as well as industrial entities like Yamaha Motor Corporation, are among those that suffer losses from this attack. As the attack was likely to have occurred around March 15, reports emerged that a cybersecurity incident was affecting NHS Scotland services. 

There were several sample documents published yesterday by the threat actor in a blog post, including medical assessments, analysis results, and psychological reports on doctors and patients with sensitive details. Throughout its history, INC has shown no restraint in its process of choosing the types of victims it is willing to target, either. 

There have been several incidents of ransomware spreading across the healthcare industry, education, as well as charities. This is something that has happened in its short time on the ransomware scene. The fact remains, though, that very few cybercriminals exercise that level of restraint in the current day and age. Due to the critical nature of healthcare and the fact that it provides several essential services, cybercriminals and ransomware baddies continue to target it. 

There is a chance that there will be a ransom paid if disruptions can be caused, allowing for patients to be cared for with full capability if a ransom is paid. ALPHV/BlackCat was credited by the media with blaming Change Healthcare for a potentially devastating attack spread across a period of weeks across February and March of this year, which knocked out services for weeks on end.

In February, Romania experienced a significant ransomware incident affecting over 100 facilities, highlighting the persistent targeting of healthcare by cybercriminals. This incident is one of numerous examples underscoring the sector's vulnerability to such threats. The United States has responded to this challenge by introducing initiatives like the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) within DARPA. 

This addition to a two-year cash-for-ideas competition aims to discover methods for securing code in critical infrastructure, including healthcare systems. Last summer, the announcement of the Artificial Intelligence Cyber Challenge (AICC) further demonstrated efforts to combat cyber threats. Teams participating in this challenge are tasked with developing autonomous tools to detect code issues in software used by vital organizations like hospitals and water treatment facilities—both prime targets for cybercrime.

ARPA-H has allocated $20 million towards the AIxCC, emphasizing its commitment to safeguarding healthcare from devastating attacks. Such attacks, exemplified by incidents like the one on Change Healthcare, underscore the urgent need for enhanced cybersecurity measures to prevent disruptions that could jeopardize patient care.
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UK
China Cyber Attacks data security Digital Personal Data Protection NHS UK

Safeguarding the NHS: Protecting Against Potential Cyber Attacks from China

 

Recent concerns have surfaced regarding the vulnerability of the NHS to cyberattacks, particularly from China. Reports indicate that Beijing-backed actors exploited software flaws to access the personal details of millions of Britons. As experts in cybersecurity, it's crucial to address these fears and provide insights into safeguarding against potential cyber threats. 

The prospect of a cyber attack on the NHS by hostile actors underscores the critical importance of robust cybersecurity measures. With the personal details of 40 million Britons potentially compromised, the stakes are high, and proactive steps must be taken to protect sensitive data and preserve public trust in the healthcare system. 

One of the primary concerns raised by these reports is the exploitation of software flaws to gain unauthorized access to personal information. Vulnerabilities in software systems can provide entry points for cybercriminals to launch attacks, compromising the integrity and security of sensitive data stored within NHS databases. 

Furthermore, the involvement of state-backed actors adds a layer of complexity to the threat landscape. Nation-state cyber-attacks are often sophisticated and well-coordinated, making them particularly challenging to defend against. As such, healthcare organizations must remain vigilant and adopt comprehensive security measures to detect and deter potential threats. To defend against potential cyber attacks from China or any other threat actor, the NHS must prioritize cybersecurity at every level. 

This includes implementing robust security protocols, conducting regular risk assessments, and investing in advanced threat detection and response capabilities. Additionally, healthcare professionals and staff members must receive comprehensive training on cybersecurity best practices to recognize and respond to potential threats effectively. By fostering a culture of security awareness and vigilance, the NHS can strengthen its defenses against cyber attacks and mitigate the risk of data breaches. 

Collaboration and information sharing are also essential components of an effective cybersecurity strategy. By partnering with government agencies, cybersecurity experts, and industry stakeholders, the NHS can stay ahead of emerging threats and leverage collective intelligence to bolster its security posture. 

While the prospect of a cyber attack on the NHS is concerning, it's essential to approach these threats with a proactive and informed mindset. By implementing robust cybersecurity measures, fostering a culture of security awareness, and collaborating with relevant stakeholders, the NHS can enhance its resilience against potential cyber threats and safeguard the personal data of millions of Britons.
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UK Government
IT Projects June Review MOVEit NHS Technology UK AI Leadership UK Government

June 2023 Review: MOVEit Exploit, UK Government’s AI Leadership Goals, NHS’ Controversial IT Project


June 2023 might have been the most thriving month for Cl0P ransomware group. Since March, the Russia-based hackers started exploiting a SQL injection vulnerability in the MOVEit file transfer service, frequently used by large organizations. However, it was not until June that Cl0p’s wreckage became apparent to organizations as cybersecurity firm Rapid7 revealed that some 2,500 incidents of data exposure had occurred online.

The incidents kept getting worse, with more and more organizations revealing that they were attacked by Cl0p. On June 5, a cyberattack on Zellis, a payroll business, affected British Airways (BA), the BBC, and Boots. The hack, which at the time was directly connected to the use of the MOVEit vulnerability, revealed the personal information of thousands of workers (two days later, BA and BBC received the standard ransomware demand from Cl0p.) As of June 15th, First National Bank, Putnam Investments, and 1st Source were among the financial services providers affected, in addition to the oil giant Shell. Though more would surface as the year went on, ransom demands seemed to crescendo at the end of the month, with Cl0p identifying and shaming Siemens Energy and Schneider Electric as the most recent victims of what now appeared to be one of the worst cyberattacks in history.

Also, June was a memorable month for the UK government’s AI goals. On June 8, the government announced their first AI summit, where it provided opportunity to world leaders to discuss regulations for a technology that many believed possessed a potential to either improve or destroy the global economy. 

As a conclusion, risk reduction in regards to AI emerged on top of the agenda. The UK government stated that risks related with “frontier systems, and discuss how they can be mitigated through internationally coordinated action,” were included in the summit’s discussions.

Furthermore, later that month, the government vouched its commitment towards shaping AI safety research by announcing around £50m in additional funding. On June 19, campaign groups Foxglove and the Doctor’s Association UK (DAUK) urged NHS to reevaluate its bid for the Federated Data Platform (FDP), a large IT project intended to connect the disparate data repositories of British health care into a single, cohesive entity.

While rationality in data analysis was a fair aspiration, according to Foxglove and DAUK, they noted that the government’s strategy for winning over the public to the data collecting that the project required was noticeably negligent. That mattered a lot more, they continued, since Palantir, a US tech startup started by an entrepreneur who had a dim view over the NHS, was the prospective winner of the FDP contract (the prediction that later turned out to be true).

Foxglove further notes that from the analysis they ran over the matter, it turned out that a huge chunk of the public would be against the project centred around the operations of healthcare services to be managed by a private organization. Therefore, making it unlikely for the FDP to be able to provide useful insight into the population's health, among other insights, claimed by its supporters.  

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Ransomware
cyber attack Cyber Attacks Cyberwarfare Nation-State Attack NCSC NHS Ransomware

Russians Hackers May Have Breached NHS Trust With 2.5 Million Patients

 

Intelligence authorities are currently engaged in an investigation into a suspected cyber attack targeting a prominent NHS trust, which serves a vast patient population of 2.5 million individuals. This incident involves a notorious group specializing in ransomware attacks, who have asserted that they possess significant volumes of sensitive data extracted from Barts Health NHS Trust. 

The attackers have issued a deadline of Monday, after which they intend to publicly disclose the pilfered information. On Friday, a group known as BlackCat or ALPHV made a statement asserting that they have successfully breached the security of the targeted organization, gaining unauthorized access to sensitive employee information such as CVs and financial data, including credit card details. 

Additionally, they claimed to have obtained confidential documents pertaining to individuals' identities. The exact nature of the information involved in the incident remains uncertain, including whether it includes patient data or if the hacking group has effectively infiltrated the trust's systems. 

Nevertheless, the situation introduces the possibility that private data belonging to the extensive patient population of approximately 2.5 million individuals served by Barts Health NHS Trust may be exposed on the dark web. In response to these developments, the trust, which encompasses six hospitals and ten clinics in East London, expressed its immediate commitment to conducting a thorough investigation into the claims. 

BlackCat emerged onto the radar in 2021 and has gained a reputation as one of the most advanced malware operations to date. According to reports, the group responsible for BlackCat managed to infiltrate approximately 200 organizations during the period spanning November 2021 to September 2022. 

The gang's modus operandi involves employing various extortion techniques against their victims. These tactics include issuing individualized ransom demands, which encompass requests for decryption keys to unlock infected files, threats of publishing stolen data, and warnings of launching denial of service attacks. 

According to sources at The Telegraph, The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), which operates under the purview of GCHQ, is actively involved in the ongoing investigation. Ransomware attacks employ specialized software to either extract sensitive data from the victim or restrict their access to it. 

In certain instances, the attackers employ encryption techniques to lock the targeted files, subsequently demanding a ransom in exchange for providing the decryption key. In 2017, the NHS experienced a significant and widespread impact from the global "Wannacry" ransomware attack, resulting in a temporary halt of operations within the healthcare system. 

The severity of the situation necessitated the urgent transfer of critical patients from affected hospitals to alternative facilities. Notably, the hacking group did not make any mention of an encryption key in their communication. 

Experts in the field have put forward a hypothesis that this omission could potentially indicate that the gang has not encrypted the pilfered information. Instead, they might be employing a strategy commonly seen in such cases, aiming for a swift payment from the targeted organization. This tactic has become increasingly prevalent in recent times.
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UK Hospitals Medical Records
Data Breach Data Safety IoT devices NHS UK Hospitals Medical Records

NHS: Hackers have Complete Access to Millions of Medical Devices in UK Hospitals

 

In England's NHS Trust hospitals, millions of medical devices are now entirely vulnerable to ransomware attacks by cybercriminal groups. 

These ostensibly safe online gadgets, such surveillance cameras and blood pressure monitors, are either unable to run security software or rely on outdated versions. They frequently receive no monitoring at all. 

When hackers leapfrog from these devices into the key areas of hospital networks, they can bring down entire hospital systems and leave a path of technological carnage in their wake. 

There have already been significant instances in North America and other parts of the world where security specialists were called in to deal with the fallout from these scenarios, some of which were the result of human error. 

This is a ticking time bomb, and the actual magnitude of the threats was revealed earlier this week by Armis Security, a US cybersecurity firm that sent freedom of information (FOI) requests to 150 NHS Trusts in England.

Armis Security inquired about how hospitals catalogue and monitor their medical devices, namely laptops, desktop computers, MRI machines, CT scanners, drug distribution stations, pacemakers, linked inhalers, and heart-rate and blood-pressure monitors. 

Only 71 NHS Trusts answered with data, but what they stated was eye-opening: one in five hospitals admitted to manually tracking each medical device added to their networks, and nearly one in six hospital networks are not checked for cybersecurity concerns at all. 

While this report focuses on the NHS, Armis stated that it is pushing for international healthcare industry action because the problem is hurting hospitals all around the world. 

Hackers usually want to steal data from businesses or encrypt it and demand a ransom payment. With healthcare, there is an additional risk that patients' lives would be impacted, both by interruption caused by cyberattacks and network failures, as well as by hacking attempts on medical devices, which may cause them to malfunction.

"NHS trusts are responsible for their own cybersecurity and must maintain a register of medical devices connected to their network, including information on their data security assurance process," said a spokesman for NHS England.“The NHS will continue to review the requirements for cybersecurity relating to connected medical devices and take action to make improvements where appropriate.” 

Why should hospitals monitor all IoT devices? 

Trend Micro, a global cybersecurity firm, interviewed 145 healthcare companies worldwide in January and discovered that more than half of them had been damaged by ransomware attacks in the previous three years. One-fourth of those surveyed stated the hacks were so severe that they had to suspend operations entirely.

In addition, the Ponemon Institute's 2022 study indicated that more than half of the 517 healthcare practitioners polled saw their institutions endure greater death rates as a result of cyberattacks. The latest known large ransomware assault on the NHS was the WannaCry ransomware strikes in 2017. However, this does not mean that we are out of the woods. 

"The reason we're good at tracking laptops and desktops is that the IT department buys them and, when we receive them, we install security tools," Mohammad Waqas, principal solutions architect at Armis, explained at Infosecurity Europe 2023.

“With medical devices, the IT team is not involved, it’s the medical departments buying and installing them. But even if I was aware this department bought 10 CT scanners or 10 ultrasound machines, I still can't install my traditional security [software] on the machines to track them.” 

Many medical devices use an open-source Linux operating system, similar to Windows or Android OS on your computer or smartphone. None of these devices are "computers" in the classic sense, yet because they run Linux, CCTV cameras and wireless glucose monitors are just as vulnerable to hackers as traditional computers. 

Armis estimates that 25,000 devices are active on any single hospital network around the world on a daily basis.
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User Privacy
Data Breach Exposed Patient Records Health Information NHS User Privacy

 NHS 111 Cyberattack may Harm Patients Privacy



On Thursday, the software firm Advanced, which supplies patient data to numerous trusts and the majority of NHS 111 providers in England, suffered a cyber attack. Several NHS systems, notably Carenotes, which is used to store patient records, experienced an outage that affected mental health and community services across the nation.

Carenotes have not yet been restored 22 days after the outage. On August 17, a hospital in Birmingham informed its staff that restoration might take an additional five weeks. The experts said that if Carenotes is back up, it will likely take two weeks for every day under current predictions, indicating that full recovery might take longer than a year. 

After Carenotes went down, patients' safety concerns about mental health and community trust workers not being able to access their records were raised. According to experts, there have already been instances where staff members have been unable to access patient records, resulting in patients not receiving the proper dosage of their medications.

The staff is also at ris; when you step outside, you never know who might be in danger. Authorities claimed that you cannot create reports for the court based on the Mental Health Act. Last Monday, the staff at Birmingham Children's Hospital, which manages children's mental health services, was informed that the problem might not be solved for additional five weeks.

Hackers are requesting money in exchange for not disclosing private information, leaving the NHS without access to essential services in the interim. The hackers stole GP notes and patient data.

As part of its winterization efforts, the NHS recently stated it would increase the number of call takers to 111. "Politicians and NHS England need to recognize that mental health trusts are working with complicated and high-risk patients, who have a higher risk of mortality," one physician in the east of England said.

The Advanced Carenotes EPR program, which contains mental health records, was also hacked by criminals. Staff members are currently in a very desperate situation, according to the affected mental health trusts, since they are still unable to access crucial patient details.





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NHS
Cyberspace Data Breach Data Theft INKY NHS

Britain’s National Health Service Hit by Massive Phishing Campaign

 

The National Health Service (NHS) of the United Kingdom witnessed a large phishing campaign for months. The threat actors have been using official NHS accounts to send phishing emails to unsuspecting third parties, it became a massive campaign in March. 

However, the campaign could have been much larger, as INKY reported in their findings. It’s safe to say that the total iceberg was much bigger than the tip we saw, INKY added. 

“We have processes in place to continuously monitor and identify these risks. We address them in collaboration with our partners who support and deliver the national NHSmail service. NHS organizations running their own email systems will have similar processes and protections in place to identify and coordinate their responses, and call upon NHS Digital assistance if required." 

NHS released the statement after INKY shared its findings with the institution. Further, NHS and its investigation bench have released statements, in which it said that their team was able to discover that the group did not compromise the mail server but rather individually hijacked accounts. 

It is between October 2021 and March 2022, that INKY successfully detected 1,157 phishing emails originating from NHSMail, the NHS email system for employees based in England and Scotland. Last year, this service was changed from an on-premise installation to Microsoft Exchange Online. This security change could have been a factor in the attack. 

After the finding, INKY had reported it to the NHS on April 13, and by April 14, the institution witnessed a sharp decline in the number of attacks, as the NHS took measures to curb them. However, INKY users were still receiving a few phishing emails from the NHS mail domain. 

Following the attack, INKY has shared information regarding phishing campaign tricks which makes things easier for the group to lure the target. The threat actors use brand logos and trademarks to impersonate well-known brands. 

Credential harvesting and hijacked accounts play a key role in malicious activities. The group has further suggested Email users always check a sender’s email address carefully before sending and opening attachments.
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UK
Comparitech Data Breach NHS Phishing and Spam Ransomware Attacks. UK

In 2021, the UK Government was Plagued by Hundreds of Spam Emails

 

The UK government was reportedly bombarded with billions of phishing emails last year, with large numbers of questionable and fraudulent links being clicked on by staff. Comparitech recently published a report on these fraudulent emails and got responses in the sort of freedom of information requests from 260 government agencies. 

According to Comparitech, 764,331 government employees got a total of 2.7 billion fraudulent emails, averaging 2,399 per employee. However, this indicates that the emails were most likely flagged as malicious and prohibited by the relevant government agency. 

In 2021, personnel opened 0.32 percent of malicious emails on average, with 0.67 percent of these events resulting in employees clicking on potentially dangerous links, as per research. According to Comparitech, this might suggest some UK government employees clicked on 57,736 questionable links last year. The firm reiterated whether any FOI responses have been unclear - were ignored to avoid overestimating this amount. 

357 million fraudulent emails were received by NHS Digital's 3,996 employees, amounting to 89,353 mails per employee. Other essential infrastructure services, such as railway supplier Network Rail Limited, received 223 million malicious emails, or 5,033 emails per employee, while tax authority HM Revenue & Customs received 27.9 million spam emails, or 415 emails per employee. 

In other cases, the researchers' attempts to better grasp the government's ransomware threat were hampered by respondents' lack of transparency. "One government department reported in 2021 it had identified 97 data theft over just 30 days. Seventy-one government agencies were also glad to announce why they had not been hit by ransomware in 2021 the remaining 187 didn't say whether or not they had. In 2021, only two government agencies disclosed it had been the victims of a successful ransomware attack," said Paul Bischoff of Comparitech.
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Serco
Babuk Ransomware Cyber Attacks NHS Serco

Threat Actor Targets Outsourcing Firm Serco Via Babuk Ransomware

The outsourcing company responsible for NHS Test and Trace system in the UK confirmed this week that it was targeted by the threat actors running the recently-discovered Babuk ransomware. 

Serco, a British services business manages over 500 contracts globally and employs nearly 50,000 people. It operates in sectors like transport, justice, health, citizen services, immigration, and defense. The firm confirmed to Sky News that it had suffered an attack but Test and Trace were not affected by the attack. Serco’s spokesperson said its European systems were detached from those in the UK, therefore the UK system is unaffected by the attack.

If the Test and Trace system would have been affected by an attack then it would add to an increasing number of incidents that have influenced the system since its launch in May 2020. Sky News learned about the incident after noticing a sample of the Babuk ransomware uploaded to VirusTotal. Threat actors attached the ransom note addressing Serco: “We’ve been surfing inside your network for about three weeks and copied more than 1TB of your data”. 

“Your partners such as NATO or Belgian Army or anyone else won’t be happy that their secret documents are in free access in the internet”, it further reads. As per the reports of security vendor Cyberint, the cybercriminal group doesn’t target schools, hospitals, or companies with annual revenue of less than $4m. Cybercriminal group also asserts to steer clear of any non-profit charities with the exception of LGBTQ+ organizations or those linked with Black Lives Matter.

The NHS and Trace system has faced a lot of criticism in the recent past for slow test results and unproductive contact tracing and the government’s move to bring in the private sector to operate it instead of showing confidence in the local health authorities has also annoyed many health experts.
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Scammers
Covid-19 Vaccinations malware NHS Scammers

NHS Urged Public to Remain Vigilant Regarding Fake Covid-19 Vaccinations

 

Fraudsters are tricking people in the UK via fake Covid-19 vaccination invites, scammers are posing to be from the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), and are sending fake emails including a link to enroll for the vaccine.

NHS has alerted the public by tweeting on their official account that no registration is required for the real vaccination. We would never ask for bank details, verification of documents such as your passport, driving license, bills, or payslips, and no payment is required for the vaccination.

The multiple variants of phishing emails are floating around the internet but they all point towards the NHS, claiming a message from the NHS website ‘noreply@nhs.gov.uk’ (the original NHS website is NHS.uk). Scammers are using mail subject identical to “IMPORTANT – Public Health Message. Decide whether if you want to be vaccinated”.
 
Cybersecurity consultant Daniel Card explained that traffic data is suggesting fraudsters have tricked thousands of recipients to click on the fake website but it remains unclear how many recipients have filled in the form. National Cyber Security Centre and Action Fraud have urged people to report scam emails or texts.

Health secretary Matt Hancock stated that “vaccines are our way out of this pandemic, it is vital that we do not let a small number of unscrupulous fraudsters undermine the huge team effort underway across the country to protect millions of people from this terrible disease”.

This was not the first phishing campaign related to the covid-19 vaccination, at the start of this month fraudsters sent bogus text messages to the recipients posing to be from the NHS and asking recipients to register for a vaccine and provide bank details for verification.
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UK
Android Apple Coronavirus Coronavirus Smartphone app COVID-19 Google iOS NHS Technology UK

The UK Government Vs Apple & Google API on the New COVID-19 App That Tells Who Near You is Infected!



Reportedly, the United Kingdom declared that their coronavirus tracing application is being run via centralized British servers and that’s how they are planning to take things forward and not via the usual “Apple-Google approach” which is a preferred one for most.

Per sources, the CEO of the Tech unit of the National Health Service mentioned that their new smartphone app will have its launching in the upcoming weeks, with the hopes of helping the country return to normalcy by beating coronavirus.

According to reports, the UK government believes that the contact-tracing protocol created by Apple and Google protects user privacy “under advertisement only”. Hence the British health service supports a system that would send the data of who may have the virus to a centralized server giving all the controls in the hand of the NHS.

The way of the NHS and that of Apple and Google, work via Bluetooth by putting a cell-phone on the wireless network, having it emit an electronic ID that could be intercepted by other phones in the vicinity. If a person tests positive for COVID-19 their ID would be used to warn the others near them.

Meaning, if you were near an affected person, your phone would show flags about their being infected, you’d be notified about it and if you may have caught the novel coronavirus you’d be alerted about that too, mention sources.

Per reports, Google and Apple especially had created an opt-in pro-privacy API for Android and iOS. The feature allows the user’s phone to change its ID on other phones near them and store it across different intervals of time.

Per sources, if a person is discovered to have COVID-19 they can allow the release of their phone’s ID to a decentralized set of databases looked over by healthcare providers and the nearby users would be notified about it.

The above-mentioned approach works best to help ensure that the users aren’t tracked by exploiting the above information. Google and Apple say that their protocol would make it next to impossible for them, the governments, and mal-actors to track people. The data wouldn’t leave the user’s phone unless they want it to, that too anonymously if and when.


A person, to declare themselves infected must enter a specific code from a healthcare provider after being tested positive which is a great way to curb fraudulent announcements about being infected.

The NHS, on the other hand, thought of proposing a centralized approach that makes the government, the party that has the coronavirus related details of all the users on their database for further analysis.

Per sources, for this application to be successful 60% of a population would have to download it and opt for it. Trust plays a major role here, if the users don’t trust the app it would be of no use to others either.

Reports mention that most countries prefer the Google and Apple method better, including Switzerland, Austria, and Estonia. Germany too is in strong support of a decentralized line whereas France had to face criticism for its inclination towards the centralized approach.

Nevertheless, the NHS is hell-bent on going forward with the centralized approach and is adamant that it will safeguard the privacy of people no matter what. In the centralized way of things, the NHS would capture all the IDs of phones with the app active on them and store the details on their database. Later on, if a user is found to be infected the NHS would make the call about all the hows, whens, and ifs of the warning procedure on the other phones.

If things were to work out the way NHS wants it to, the application would advise users to take steps to help them save themselves against the virus, like self-isolating if need be. The advice notified would be customized per the situation. They would also build a better database and help people with first-hand updates. People could also voluntarily provide detailed information about themselves to make the app’s experience more comprehensive.

Moreover, the centralized system would be way easier for conducting audits and analysis of the data that has been stored in the databases for further research about users that are at most risk.

But regardless of all the superficial advantages, the NHS would still be creating a database bursting with people’s personal information like their health statuses, their movements, and that too with the government having complete control of it.

The success of the entire operation dwells on the people’s trust in the NHS, the UK government, and the governments of all the countries for that matter who have opted for the centralized system.

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NHS
Artificial Intelligence Medical Devices Medical Hacking NHS

National Health Service England to set up Artificial Intelligence lab





The National Health Service England is planning to set up a national artificial intelligence laboratory to enhance the medical care and research facility.

According to the Health Secretary, Matt Hancock said AI has 'enormous power' to improve the health care facilities, and save lives.

The health service has announced £250m on setting up a research lab to boost AI within the health sector.

However, AI will pose new challenges in protecting patient data.

Many AI tools have proven to be game-changer devices, which help doctors at spotting lung cancer, skin cancer, and more than 50 eye conditions from scans.

Meanwhile, there are some tools that are yet to be used routinely across the NHS.

"The power of artificial intelligence to improve medicine, to save lives, to improve the way treatments are done, that power is enormous," Mr. Hancock told BBC News.

"In this country, we've got the opportunity to be one of the leading countries in the world at using this new technology."


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