RUSSIAN hackers have allegedly published NHS patients' names, dates of birth and personal blood test data from a shocking cyber attack.
Synnovis, a contracted IT firm which serves NHS pathology labs, was the victim of a cyber hack - understood to be carried out by Russian group Qilinon - on June 3.
Hundreds of operations and appointments are still being delayed weeks after the "critical incident" unfolded.
Several hospitals were forced to cancel major surgeries and blood transfusions.
NHS England is now aware that the cyber criminal group published data last night which they claim belongs to Synnovis.
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They allege it was stolen as part of this attack.
As reported by the BBC, the cyber criminal group shared almost 400GB of data.
This included patient names, dates of birth, NHS numbers and descriptions of blood tests.
An NHS England spokesperson said: "NHS England has been made aware that the cyber criminal group published data last night which they are claiming belongs to Synnovis and was stolen as part of this attack.
"We understand that people may be concerned by this and we are continuing to work with Synnovis, the National Cyber Security Centre and other partners to determine the content of the published files as quickly as possible.
"This includes whether it is data extracted from the Synnovis system, and if so whether it relates to NHS patients.
"As more information becomes available through Synnovis’ full investigation, the NHS will continue to update patients and the public."
It comes after reports patients in London were being told they may have to wait weeks for appointments - including blood transfusions - after the hack.
London's Guy's, St Thomas' and King's College Hospitals are said to have been impacted.
Royal Brompton and Harefield are also understood to have cancelled transplant surgeries.
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Contracted IT firm Synnovis, which serves NHS pathology labs, confirmed in an email to staff that it had been hit.
It apologised for the disruptions caused and said it was quickly working to find a solution.
The IT firm did however say previously it was unsure of all the details of the attack, or how long it would impact patients.
A spokesperson for NHS England London said previously : “On Monday 3 June Synnovis, a provider of lab services, was the victim of a ransomware cyber attack.
“This is having a significant impact on the delivery of services at Guy’s and St Thomas’, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trusts and primary care services in south east London and we apologise for the inconvenience this is causing to patients and their families.
“Emergency care continues to be available, so patients should access services in the normal way by dialling 999 in an emergency and otherwise using 111, and patients should continue to attend appointments unless they are told otherwise.
"We will continue to provide updates for local patients and the public about the impact on services and how they can continue to get the care they need.
“We are working urgently to fully understand the impact of the incident with the support of the government’s National Cyber Security Centre and our Cyber Operations team.”
'MAJOR IMPACT'
An email was sent out by IT firm Synnovis after the cyber attack which said: "This is having a major impact on the delivery of our services, with blood transfusions being particularly affected.
"Some activity has already been cancelled or redirected to other providers at short notice as we prioritise the clinical work that we are able to safely carry out."
