Russian hackers broke into the database of the national health service of Great Britain. They closed for doctors access to the results of about 300 million appeals of Britons. According to The Guardian, the hackers are demanding a ransom of 50 million dollars. They also said that they were taking revenge on the UK for supporting Ukraine.
The hackers used a robotic encryption engine to break into the database of Synnovis, a company that provides laboratory and diagnostic services to multiple hospitals, including government hospitals, and general practitioners.
Because of the cyberattack, 736 outpatient appointments, five scheduled cesarean sections for women in labor and 18 transplants were postponed. In addition, London suspended tests for HIV and hepatitis C and B. London hospitals canceled more than 800 operations.
According to The Guardian, the hackers are demanding a ransom of $50 million dollars. They also said they were taking revenge on Britain for supporting Ukraine.
On Friday, it became known that Synnovis refused to pay the ransom. After that, the hacker group "Qilin" (Qilin) posted 104 files with patient data in the public domain.
"Qilin is an extortionist cybercrime group. It is believed to be linked to Russia. It hacks into databases in various countries and demands a ransom to regain access to them. However, this time, the BBC reports that this is the first time Qilin has declared the hacking as a political action. The hackers said they were protesting the UK's "involvement in military conflict." Presumably, they are referring to the UK's military support for Ukraine.
They also said they specifically targeted medical companies at a time when, in their words, "our citizens are dying in battles for lack of medicines and blood donations."
