NHS learns from WannaCry with cyber training

NHS learns from WannaCry with cyber training

 GCHQ has been helping NHS trusts be more prepared for cyber attacks like WannaCry.

Secretary of state for health and social care Matt Hancock has confirmed that more than 100 NHS boards have completed GCHQ-accredited cyber security training courses in the wake of a devastating hacking attack.

In May 2017, a ransomware outbreak was detected in hospital NHS systems and, by that afternoon, it had spread to 16 NHS trusts and been declared a major security incident.

The so-called WannaCry attack disrupted 80 hospital trusts in England, as well as 603 primary care and affiliate NHS organisations.

After an inquiry by the National Audit Office found the NHS to be woefully unprepared for another such attack, dedicated cyber security plans were put in place and trusts began to be trained up.

Now, speaking at the Kings Fund Digital Health and Care Congress, Mr Hancock said the initiative is bearing fruit, with at least 100 boards being given valuable insight into security by GCHQ.

The government is also investing £150 million in new protective cyber measures, including a data security and protection toolkit that "everyone in the NHS who deals with patient data must use.