Ireland's health service hit by 'significant' ransomware attack

Ireland's health service hit by major ransomware attack

DUBLIN -- Ireland’s health care system was hit by a major ransomware attack on Friday, forcing its health service to shut down its IT systems, which affected some hospitals. Ireland’s Health Service executive said it had taken many of its major IT systems offline as a precaution and that it was still investigating the full impact of the attack, which it described as “significant.” At least two major maternity hospitals said their computer systems were significantly affected and one, the Rotunda hospital in Dublin, canceled most non-emergency appointments. The hospitals said they had contingencies in place and that medical equipment was not impacted and care was being given as normal. The health service said Ireland’s coronavirus vaccinations program was also unaffected by the attack.