Ransomware attack on NHS hospitals
On the 12th of May, 2017, there has been a major ‘ransomware’ attack affecting multiple hospitals in the UK. Computer systems have been powered off, and data has been encrypted and held to ransom. For full coverage see The Guardian article here: NHS cyber-attack: hospital computer systems held to ransom across England | Society | The Guardian
CDR – Manchester Data Recovery Services – has covered the issue of data loss by ransomware previously in a number of articles. There is the possibility of recovering the data, but it is dependent on the variant of malware used, and what steps the user of the computer has taken since the malware was run. Although it might seem counter-intuitive, it is necessary that no one attempts to remove the ransomware malware from the infected computer. On the installation of ransomware, the software can create important files which can be used to assist in any decryption attempt. Removal of the ransomware by Anti-virus software will also remove these critical files.
In the event of a Ransomware attack turn off your computer immediately. If you do not have a back-up of your data then data recovery might still be possible. Please contact CDR for professional advice in such cases.