INC Ransom Breaches NHS Scotland’s IT System

Following reports of a cybersecurity incident on March 15 that affected services relating to the National Health Service (NHS) of Scotland, cybercriminals from the INC Ransom extortion gang posted images containing medical documents related the organization, saying they would soon leak more data. The cyber extortion gang first emerged in July 2023 with notable attacks on education, healthcare, government, and industrial entities, targeting both public and private sectors. NHS Scotland is the country’s public health system, who provides services such as primary care, hospital care, dental care, pharmaceutical, and long-term care. A spokesperson from the Scottish Government stated that the cyber incident remained isolated to just one (1) of the fourteen (14) regional health boards that make up the whole of NHS Scotland, which was reported as NHS Dumfries and Galloway. The sample documents the threat actor published in their initial post contained sensitive information about doctors and patients, including medical assessments, analysis results, and psychological reports. The INC Ransom affiliates claim to have stolen three (3) terabytes of data that they plan on releasing if the ransom is not paid. Thus far, the health service’s patient-facing portal seems to be functioning normally. The organization is working with police and the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) as they continue to navigate and respond to the situation, while the government spokesperson simultaneously asserted that they are coordinating with the health board, Police Scotland, and other agencies to investigate the impact of the breach. NHS Dumfries and Galloway consists of eleven (11) hospitals covering an area of south Scotland that has a population size of roughly 150,000 individuals. NHS Scotland will be directly informing any patients whose information was leaked.