Ireland’s Health Service Shuts Down IT Systems After Ransomware Attack

As San Diego-based Scripps Health continues its efforts to restore online systems after a cyberattack on May 1, a ransomware attack has caused the Health Service Executive, the publicly funded healthcare system in the Republic of Ireland, to shut down its IT systems to protect against further attack.

A BBC story noted that Ossian Smyth, minister for public procurement and eGovernment, spoke to reporters and said it was an international attack. “These are cybercriminal gangs, looking for money,” Smyth said. “What they're attempting to do is to encrypt and lock away our data, and then to try to ransom it back to us for money. It's widespread. It is very significant, and possibly the most significant cybercrime attack on the Irish State.”

The BBC also reported that the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has said the HSE became aware of a significant ransomware attack on some of its systems in the early hours of Friday morning.

In a tweet, Ireland's Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said the incident was “having a severe impact on our health and social care services today, but individual services and hospital groups are impacted in different ways.”

The BBC story rounded up reports of disruptions at a number of hospitals in the Republic of Ireland:

• Dublin's Rotunda Hospital has cancelled outpatients visits, due to a "critical emergency", unless women are 36 weeks pregnant or later. All gynecology clinics are cancelled. It said those with any urgent concerns should attend.

• The National Maternity Hospital in Dublin also said there would be "significant disruption" to its services on Friday "due to a major IT issue".

• St Columcille's Hospital in Dublin said some virtual appointments and matters related to electronic records were postponed.

• Children's Health Ireland (CHI) at Crumlin Hospital advised people there were delays and all virtual/online appointments had been cancelled.

• The UL Hospitals Group, which consists of six hospital sites in the midwest, said in a statement that "long delays are expected" for patients attending its services. It said emergency services are still operating and people with an outpatient appointment or scheduled procedure should attend unless they are contacted and “advised otherwise.”