Cyber security

The Scottish Government’s resilience operation met again today following what is thought to be the largest ever global cyber attack on Friday.

There has been no spike in incidents affecting Scotland since organisations returned to work this week.

The meeting heard that:

• The global attack largely affected NHS systems in Scotland and across the UK

• Health boards have put extra teams in place to support staff returning to work this morning
• Approximately 1% of computers in the NHS in Scotland were affected by the attack
• Work has taken place to recover NHS systems
• The priority has been to maintain patient safety has been maintained and to ensure that patient data is not compromised
• The Scottish Government wrote to all NHS boards on 21^st February 2017 reminding them of the importance of cyber security asking them to review the resilience of their systems and assurance around their backup procedures.
• Subject to approval, Health Secretary Shona Robison will make a Parliamentary statement on the attacks on Tuesday 16^th May.

Health Secretary Shona Robison said:

“Systems are returning to normal today and I would like to thank NHS staff for their hard work over the weekend.

“It is important to emphasise that patient safety is paramount and there is no evidence that patient data has been compromised.

“However Friday’s attack has highlighted the need for everyone to have appropriate and robust measures in place to protect against cyber-attacks which could strike any IT system at any time.

“Police Scotland are investigating the attack, working closely with the National Crime Agency which is leading the UK-wide law enforcement investigative response.

“Subject to approval, I will update Parliament on the latest situation tomorrow."

Background

The National Cyber Security Centre’s has issued guidance for organisations protect systems from ransomware

Safe, Secure and Prosperous: A Cyber Resilience Strategy for Scotland