Breach Incidents
Essential Reading
Synnovis Ransomware Attack 2024
The Synnovis attack disrupted pathology services for over 3 months, cancelled hundreds of operations, and triggered the NHS's first ever critical incident for a cyberattack.
WannaCry and the NHS
WannaCry cost the NHS £92 million and affected 80 trusts — yet the vulnerability it exploited (unpatched legacy systems) remains widespread across NHS infrastructure.
Further Reading
UK Healthcare Data Breaches 2023–2024
Healthcare reported 6,890 personal data breach incidents to the ICO in 2023 — the highest of any sector, and representing a 19% increase on 2022.
Private Hospital Data Breach Case Studies
Private healthcare providers account for 18% of all healthcare data breach reports to the ICO — disproportionate to their share of patient contact volumes.
NHS Supplier Breaches
The 2022 Advanced/Adastra attack disrupted NHS 111 triage services across England for over six weeks — affecting millions of patient contacts.