NHS Scotland hit by ongoing cyber attack amid fears hackers have stolen patients personal data The Scottish Sun

pPATIENTS confidential details could have been breached after a Scots health board was targeted by hackersppNHS Dumfries and Galloway was hit by a focused attack earlier this morningppHealth chiefs quickly called in cops and cyber boffins when the alarm was raisedppBut staff have been warned the digital criminals may have already accessed private details of both patients and staffppThe health board warned patients some services will be hit by the digital intrusionppStaff have been urged to be on alert for anyone trying to access their systemppThey were also told to immediately call police if they were approached by anyone who claims to have information about themppBosses say the hack is being treated as a very serious matter and it is currently being probed by Police Scotland the Scottish Government and the National Cyber Security CentreppAn alert on the health boards website reads NHS Dumfries and Galloway has been the target of a focused and ongoing cyber attackppThis prompted a swift response in line with our established protocols working with partner agencies including Police Scotland the National Cyber Security Agency and the Scottish GovernmentppThere may be some disruption to services as a result of this situationppDuring these incursions into our systems there is a risk that hackers have been able to acquire a significant quantity of datappWork is continuing together with cyber security agencies to investigate what data may have been accessed but we have reason to believe that this could include patientidentifiable and staffidentifiable datappBreach of confidential data is an incredibly serious matter We are encouraging everyone staff and public to be on their guard for any attempt to access their systems or approaches from anyone claiming to be in possession of data relating to themppTHE National Cyber Security Centre says if youre a customer of an organisation that has suffered a data breach you should take the following actionsppFind out if youve been affected by contacting the organisation using their official website or social media channels Dont use the links or contact details in any messages you have been sent The organisation should be able to confirmppYou can also phone the organisation directly but be aware that many wont have the capacity to respond to all calls during a major breachpp2  Be alert to suspicious messages weve published guidance that can help you with this which may be sent some time after the breach is made public Remember your bank or any other official organisation will never ask you to supply personal information Things to look out for includepp3  If you receive a suspicious message that includes a password youve used in the past dont panicpp4  Check your online accounts to confirm theres been no unauthorised activity Things to look out for includepp5  If you suspect an account of yours has been accessed refer to the NCSC guidance on recovering a hacked accountpp6  To check if your details have appeared in any other public data breaches there are a number of online tools that you can use such as httpshaveibeenpwnedcom Similar services are often included in antivirus or password manager tools that you may already be usingppIn any of these situations contact Police Scotland immediately by phoning 101ppA Police Scotland spokesperson said Police Scotland enquiries are continuing into a cyber attack on NHS Dumfries GallowayppNews Group Newspapers Limited in England No 679215 Registered office 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF The Sun Sun Sun Online are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited This service is provided on News Group Newspapers Limiteds Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy Cookie Policy To inquire about a licence to reproduce material visit our Syndication site View our online Press Pack For other inquiries Contact Us To see all content on The Sun please use the Site Map The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation IPSOppOur journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click herep