UK looks into cyberattack affecting NHS services – POLITICO

The U.K. National Crime Agency is examining a cyberattack that has affected some systems used by the National Health Service.

Advanced, a software firm providing services to the NHS, said that it identified “a security issue” on Thursday.

“The NCA is aware of a cyber incident affecting the company Advanced and is working with partners to better understand its impact,” a spokesperson for the National Crime Agency told POLITICO in an emailed statement on Saturday.

“We can confirm that the incident is related to a cyberattack and as a precaution, we immediately isolated all our health and care environments,” Advanced Chief Operating Officer Simon Short said, adding that the issue had been contained “to a small number of servers.”

The attack affected the NHS 111 service, including systems used to dispatch ambulances and for emergency prescriptions, according to the BBC.

In 2017, the NHS was among those hit in a global-scale cyberattack.