Health board fears hackers have stolen patient data

A "focused and ongoing" cyber attack has targeted NHS Dumfries and Galloway

A health board says it has been targeted in a "focused and ongoing" cyber attack.

NHS Dumfries and Galloway said it was working with Police Scotland, the National Cyber Security Centre and the Scottish government to handle the attack on IT systems.

It warned that hackers could have acquired a "significant quantity" of patient and staff data.

The health board said there could be disruption to services as a result of the incident.

'Serious matter'

Cyber security agencies are investigating what data could have been accessed.

NHS Dumfries and Galloway said in a statement: "Breach of confidential data is an incredibly serious matter.

"We are encouraging everyone, staff and public, to be on their guard for any attempt to access their systems or approaches from anyone claiming to be in possession of data relating to them."

Patients or staff in such a situation have been urged to contact Police Scotland.

The health board has also set up a dedicated web page to the attack on its website.

The health board has warned people to be on their guard against anyone claiming to have their data

Cyber security expert Lisa Forte said it was a serious attack with the potential that patient and staff data could have been accessed.

“We don’t have much more detail coming in from the health board at this moment in time but it does look very similar to what we would call a ransomware attack," she said.

She said there was "significant disruption" being reported and the incident had "all the hallmarks" of that kind of attack.

She said there were a number of ways someone could get into a company's network, including phishing emails or guessing a username and password.

The BBC spoke to a number of people in Dumfries town centre who were concerned about the impact on the running of the NHS.

Julie Black (left) and Fiona Parker (right)

Julie Black feared there would be a knock-on effect for GPs as well as patients, while Fiona Parker shared concerns about what would happen if patient data got "into the wrong hands".

She said: "I thought and believed that everything was in place but it just goes to show that there are people out there that are very cunning and can get into systems that are supposedly foolproof.

"It’s quite scary."

Established procedures

Police Scotland said its investigation into the incident was ongoing.

Health Secretary Neil Gray said he was aware of the attack and the Scottish government was in close contact with all the agencies involved.

"There are well-established procedures for dealing with a situation of this kind," he said.

"We are providing assistance and support to NHS Dumfries and Galloway as they handle this incident."

A spokeswoman from the National Cyber Security Centre added: "We are working with law enforcement, NHS Scotland and the Scottish government to fully understand the impact of the incident."

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