NHS cyber attack is worse than first feared

'We don't know what we're dealing with'

How much data has been accessed remains unclear for now (Getty Images)

The cyber attack that on the NHS is more widespread than initially feared.

NHS Scotland has also been affected by the cyber attack, which is preventing hospital staff from accessing patient data.

Ransomware called Wanna Decryptor appears to be at the heart of the problem, and is demanding payment to unlock infected machines.

How much data has been accessed remains unclear for now, but security experts have warned that medical records can be much more valuable to criminals than financial data.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, NHS Dumfries and Galloway and NHS Forth Valley said some of their GP surgeries have been caught up in the incident.

NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Western Isles also confirmed they have been affected.

The situation across Scotland is currently being monitored closely.

The first health board to confirm it had been affected was Dumfries and Galloway, which said three GP surgeries in the region were hit.

A spokesman said: "Three GP practices have been initially affected and we are taking precautionary measures to prevent any others being affected."

He declined to name the practices involved and said the board is "comfortable and confident" with the steps taken, but added: "We don't know what we're dealing with.

"We are monitoring the situation here, as are all health boards in Scotland."

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) said in a statement: "We can confirm that four GP practices have experienced disruption to their IT systems today.

"The rest of NHSGGC is unaffected."

NHS Forth Valley said some GP and dental surgeries had been hit by the problem.

"We can confirm that a small number of GP and dental practices in the Forth Valley area have experienced disruption to their IT systems which may be linked to the wider IT issues affecting parts of NHS England.

"Steps have been taken to isolate their IT systems to minimise the risk of any virus spreading to other parts of the NHS. The practices affected remain open and have put in place contingency arrangements."

An NHS Western Isles spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that we have been affected but can't confirm to what extent at the moment.

"We do have systems in place to cover all emergencies."

NHS Grampian and NHS Ayrshire and Arran said they are monitoring the situation.

John Wright, director for corporate support services at Ayrshire, said: "NHS Ayrshire & Arran is aware of the reported cyber attacks which appear to have affected NHS services in England and a number of national services across Scotland.

"Our IT security team are closely monitoring our networks to identify any suspicious activity.

"We will continue to do so over the coming days in order to minimise any possible impact on services.

"We are also in contact with the National Services Centre who are co-ordinating the situation on behalf of NHS Scotland.

Additional reporting by Press Association