NHS computers 'attacked by numerous viruses'

2009-07-14

In the last financial year over 8,000 viruses have infected NHS computers, it has been revealed.

More4 News requested data from every NHS trust in England to look into how many viruses had gotten into their networks.

Three-quarters of these replied to the news provider and 12 incidents were found to have affected clinical departments and thereby patient care.

One particular case in Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells saw 100 users kept out of their computer systems because of a virus, according to the news provider.

"Electronic patient records systems are protected by the highest levels of access controls and other security measures," the NHS told the news provider in a statement.

In related developments, the Information Commissioner's Office recently found Jubilee Managing Agency in breach of the Data Protection Act.

The news came after the insurance company reported the loss of an unencrypted disk containing personal data of around 2,100 individual UK policyholders.

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