The National Healthcare Services (NHS) of United Kingdom is set to spend £150 million ($206 million) to safeguard its cyber infrastructure. Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, said: “We know cyber attacks are a growing threat, so it is vital our health and care organisations have secure systems which patients trust. We have been building the capability of NHS systems over a number of years, but there is always more to do to future-proof our NHS against this threat. This new technology will ensure the NHS can use the latest and most resilient software available – something the public rightly expect.”
This was after the health care body was recently slammed for ‘alarming’ lack of cybersecurity defenses, amid warnings that Russian hackers were trying to infiltrate the critical infrastructure critical national infrastructure, including power networks. “Despite 22 recommendations created by the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and NHS Improvement to help the NHS improve its cyber defences, the PAC noted it was “alarmed” that these measures had not yet been implemented,” suggests a report on The Inquirer.
The announcement traces its root back to the infamous WannaCry cyber attack that had crippled the infrastructure. According to the Department of Health and Social Care, “the package would enhance security intelligence and give individual trusts the ability to detect threats, isolate infected machines and kill malicious processes before they are able to spread.”
Earlier, the UK government had pledged £21 million to boost the cybersecurity of the NHS. “Careful consideration of how to secure your legacy business systems, what, if any, network security appliances are needed, and which lower-cost solutions can be implemented will give management a better idea of what their needs are in terms of a cybersecurity budget,” According to Crowe Horwath, one of the largest public accounting, consulting, and technology firms. “Once these needs are mapped into the organization’s long-term plan, the available capital can be allocated for new development. When the budget for new projects is combined with the budget for ongoing maintenance and monitoring requirements, an organization will be able to determine its annual budget for both people and money.”
