UK: NHS Probes Data Leak Claims After Cyber Attack

Facts

• The UK's National Health Service (NHS) is investigating claims that hackers published confidential patient data online that was stolen after a cyber attack knocked out services at several London hospitals earlier this month.¹
• The June 3 attack caused procedures to be canceled or redirected in at least four of the capital's hospitals and reportedly targeted Synnovis, reportedly one of the largest pathology service providers in the UK.²
• Late on Thursday, the cybercriminal group known as Qilin — believed to be behind the initial attacks, reportedly published 400 gigabytes of data online, including patients' identities, NHS numbers, and blood test results.³
• Before the leak, the hackers reportedly told BBC that they were 'sorry' to those who suffered as a result of the attack but blamed the UK government for failing to support an unspecified war.⁴
• The BBC reported that while it's thought Qilin's hackers are based in Russia, some of the language used in the interview was reminiscent of Ukraine supporters — with the outlet acknowledging that either case was possible.⁴
• Meanwhile, Qilin has reportedly demanded a £40M ($50M) ransom.⁵

Sources: ¹Reuters, ²Sky News, ³Cybernews, ⁴BBC News and ⁵The Telegraph.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Guardian. Russia has long banned extraditing criminals overseas, and since the full-fledged invasion of Ukraine, it has stopped cooperating with the West on cybersecurity matters. That means Russian cybercrime has flourished, and the Kremlin turns its gaze if those attacks target the West. Qilin is most likely a Russian cybercrime organization.
• Narrative B, as provided by BBC News. While Qilin could be a Russia-based outfit, there's a possibility it supports Ukraine's resistance. The fact that it blamed the UK government for not helping in the 'war' suggests that the hack and data leak was the work of a handful of Ukrainians who chose to attack Synnovis to revenge Ukrainian troops' deaths due to a lack of medicines and donor blood on the battlefield.

Predictions