As far back as 1834 , when the French Telegraph System was hacked to steal financial market information , those using technology have had to fend off cyber attacks .

As healthcare data is essential , it makes the sector vulnerable to cybercriminals who would seek to exploit the desperation of sick patients and their doctors .

Trojan Horse Software targets AIDS researchers

Medical professionals studying AIDS were facing enough obstacles to their work when a floppy disk was mailed to thousands of researchers . Those who opened it on their computers were hit by Trojan Horse Software , which ordered bewildered users to pay for a ‘ year ' s lease ’ and mail the money to Panama .

Boston Children ' s Hospital is the first health care organisation targeted by cybercriminals

Boston Children ' s Hospital became the first health care institution to be targeted by a Denial of Service ' DoS ' attack , but the hackers started by doxing staff and Tweeting threats . The DDoS attack slowed traffic , while phishing emails were used to try to gain access to the hospital network behind the firewall .

WannaCry hits UK ’ s NHS and causes £ 6bn of damage globally

WannaCry hit Windows OS computers by locking users out and demanding US $ 300 to unlock each one . 200,000 computers were infected , causing £ 6bn in global costs . For the NHS , thousands of appointments and operations were cancelled and high-risk patients relocated , while staff used paper notes instead of emails .

14 May 2022