NHS faces further blow as NCSC director says IT systems are ‘outdated’

The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) is vulnerable to even more devastating cyberattacks because parts of its IT infrastructure are outdated.

Professor Ciaran Martin, the first director-general of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), has issued a warning about the state of the NHS following a major cyberattack that hit the organisation in June 2024.

In total, more than 6,000 appointments and procedures were postponed across London due to the attack. Additionally, on June 3, pathology provider Synnovis was hit by a ransomware attack that resulted in hundreds of gigabytes of confidential patient data being leaked online.

Call to Arms

The ransomware attack left Professor Martin “dismayed but not completely surprised”, he said BBC: “Ransomware attacks on healthcare are a serious global problem. “It’s pretty clear in parts of the NHS that some of the IT is out of date.”

He added that the NHS’s biggest problems, apart from outdated technology, are the inability to properly identify points of vulnerability and a lack of basic security practices.

“The attack targeted London NHS hospitals, disrupting services and compromising confidential patient data,” commented Adam Button, Field CTO at Elastic. “The widespread disruption forced hospitals to revert to manual operations and delay non-emergency procedures. This incident highlights the critical importance of robust cybersecurity protocols in securing essential healthcare services and protecting patient information.”

“As the fallout continues, this is a wake-up call for all healthcare providers to strengthen their defenses. Tools that can index, search, and analyze large amounts of data in real time are invaluable in detecting and responding to cyber threats.”

Button also added that the Board cannot be the only entity aware of the “real threats” and existing solutions – this awareness needs to be spread widely across the country.

“Ensuring that businesses operating on the frontline of what many see as the ongoing cyber war are adequately equipped is critical to the UK’s cyber resilience and national security,” he concluded.

By Evening Standard