150,000 Dumfries and Galloway households set to release advice notes.
Following the release of personal data on the dark web, citizens of Dumfries and Galloway are to receive letters warning them that cybercriminals are likely to have published medical data about them.
Set to reach around 150,000 people, the notices were published on the NHS Trust’s website on Monday.
Julie White, the NHS Trust’s chief executive, advises the recipients “that the best approach to take is to assume that some data relating to you is likely to have been copied and published,” according to media reports.
“This is an extremely serious situation, and everyone is asked to be on their guard for any attempts to access their computer systems, or any approaches by anyone claiming to hold their data or someone else’s data,” she wrote.
The millions of stolen documents “are generally very small” and range from x-ray images to test results. The letter warns that there is a risk of identity theft for NHS staff due to the amount of data gathered on those staff during the recruitment process.
It adds: “It is an acknowledged risk that the stolen data could be used to exploit or threaten people. This could either be by the cyber criminals who copied the data or someone who accesses it now that it has been published.”
Written by
Dan Raywood
Senior Editor
SC Media UK
Dan Raywood is a B2B journalist with more than 20 years of experience, including covering cybersecurity for the past 16 years. He has extensively covered topics from Advanced Persistent Threats and nation-state hackers to major data breaches and regulatory changes.
He has spoken at events including 44CON, Infosecurity Europe, RANT Conference, BSides Scotland, Steelcon and ESET Security Days.
Outside work, Dan enjoys supporting Tottenham Hotspur, managing mischievous cats, and sampling craft beers.
