A cyber attack on Synnovis, which provides blood diagnostics and transfusion services for the National Health Service of Great Britain (NHS), has caused serious malfunctions in the operations of medical institutions in London. According to information obtained by Bloomberg News, dozens of patients were injured, with two cases resulting in long-term or irreversible consequences.
The incident took place in June 2024, and the responsibility for the attack was claimed by the group QILIN, which demanded a $50 million ransom from Synnovis. After the company refused to pay, the hackers leaked stolen medical data, including patient results from the UK and Ireland.
As a result of the disruption to the NHS laboratories in four areas of London, over 10,000 appointments and 1,700 surgeries had to be canceled. In the initial days post-attack, laboratory services dropped to 10% of their normal capacity, leading to patient injuries, especially for those requiring dialysis and urgent blood tests.
Internal documents reveal that the attack resulted in:
- 2 cases of serious health damage with long-term or irreversible consequences for patients
- 11 cases of moderate health damage leading to medium-term deterioration
- More than 120 cases of mild health damage with short-term complications
Experts warn that the actual impact could be even greater, as delayed treatment may result in health deterioration over months or years.
Cyberattacks in healthcare are becoming more frequent. According to Microsoft data, ransomware attacks have surged by 300% in the past decade. NHS has been targeted in the past, notably in 2017 when the Wannacry virus crippled hospitals across Great Britain, resulting in the cancelation of 19,000 medical procedures.
Bloomberg reports that the 2024 cyberattack was facilitated by known vulnerabilities in London hospitals’ digital systems. Despite the