The WannaCry cyber attack led to disruption in at least 34% of trusts in England although the Department and NHS England do not know the full extent of the disruption.A further 603 primary care and other NHS organisations were infected by WannaCry, including 595 GP practices.
On Friday 12 May 2017 a computer virus, known as WannaCry, which encrypts data on infected computers and demands a ransom payment to allow users access, was released worldwide. It was to date the largest cyberattack to affect the NHS in England.
Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office, said, "The WannaCry cyber attack had potentially serious implications for the NHS and its ability to provide care to patients. It was a relatively unsophisticated attack and could have been prevented by the NHS following basic IT security best practice. There are more sophisticated cyber threats out there than WannaCry so the Department and the NHS need to get their act together to ensure the NHS is better protected against future attacks."
Source: NAO