2 UK Hospitals Targeted in Separate Cyberattacks

Two hospitals affiliated with the UK's National Health Service (NHS) were victims of cyberattacks in the past week, though the incidents are not believed to be connected.

Alder Hey Children's Hospital said patient records and other information were compromised and has launched an investigation.

"We are aware that data has been published online and shared via social media that purports to have been obtained illegally from systems shared by Alder Hey and Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust," the hospital wrote in a statement. "We are working with partners to verify the data that has been published and to understand the potential impact."

Inc ransomware claimed responsibility for the hack, adding Alder Hey to its leak site, alleging that the stolen data, which includes patient records and donor reports, dates back to 2018.

The second cyberattack affected Wirral University Teaching Hospital, which reported that it detected suspicious activity, prompting it to isolate systems resulting in certain IT systems going offline. 

"While [medical] services continue to be available, there has been disruption to planned services, for example, some scheduled appointments are affected," the hospital stated in its update. "Unfortunately we have had to postpone some procedures, which will be rescheduled."

As it works to resolve the "cybersecurity incident," it remains unclear who the perpetrator was and or the kind of attack they used.