Breaking: Sensitive Data Stolen from Blood Test Provider Published Online

Sensitive data stolen from an NHS provider in a cyber attack has reportedly been published online.

NHS England has confirmed that a criminal group claims to have released patient information hacked from Synnovis, a provider of pathology services for blood tests.

Synnovis, which serves primarily southeast London, fell victim to a ransomware attack on 3 June, believed to be carried out by the Russian group Qilin.

NHS England released a statement on Friday morning, stating: "NHS England has been made aware that the cyber criminal group published data last night which they are claiming belongs to Synnovis and was stolen as part of this attack.

"We understand that people may be concerned by this and we are continuing to work with Synnovis, the National Cyber Security Centre and other partners to determine the content of the published files as quickly as possible. This includes whether it is data extracted from the Synnovis system, and if so whether it relates to NHS patients. As more information becomes available through Synnovis' full investigation, the NHS will continue to update patients and the public."

The cyber criminal group reportedly shared almost 400GB of data, including patient names, dates of birth, NHS numbers, and descriptions of blood tests, on their darknet site and Telegram channel, according to the BBC. 

Additionally, spreadsheets containing financial arrangements between hospitals, GP services, and Synnovis were published.

Synnovis stated on Friday morning: "We know how worrying this development may be for many people. We are taking it very seriously and an analysis of this data is already under way."

The attack led to the postponement of more than 320 planned operations and 1,294 outpatient appointments at King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust between 10 and 16 June, during the second week after the attack.
Source: Sky news