3 months Ago
Clinical Diagnostics breached some agreements, Nova said, though it did not specify which ones. There are reports that they could be tied to the lab's involvement with law enforcement following the breach. Nova has given the laboratory 11 days to pay a substantial ransom, threatening to release more of the stolen information on the internet if the laboratory refuses.
Scale of the Data Breach
The attack on Clinical Diagnostics is widespread and includes around 485,000 women from the cervical cancer screening programme, and around 50,000 other patients whose GPs referred them to the company. It is believed the leaked data includes information from a minimum of one government minister, one parliamentarian, and multiple women in sheltered housing for domestic abuse victims.
The lab may also have previously paid a ransom after the first hack, sources said. But Nova is not offering to settle for anything less and is adding the potential for a huge public disclosure of highly sensitive information.
Sensitive Information at Risk
The compromised data includes names, addresses, citizen service numbers (BSNs), and medical test data. The breach has called into question the security of individuals' health details and the effect on affected individuals, particularly those who are vulnerable. Clinical Diagnostics, which carries out a highly diverse set of medical tests for general practitioners and national screening programmes, is now under intense focus as it responds to the threats and seeks to limit the damage.
