When Network Security Becomes a Matter of Life and Death
Mahlet Cybersecurity Newsletter
July 28, 2025
A Stark Reminder That, In The Cybersecurity World, There Can Be Much More At Stake Than Money & Data.
Unfortunately, but also unsurprisingly, this is the grim reality of network breaches in healthcare, as we’ve learned from recent incidents impacting the United Kingdom’s National Health System (NHS) facilities. Several articles (see Resources, below) highlight a patient death linked to a June 2024 ransomware attack on Synnovis, an organization that manages labs for the healthcare system and providers, disrupting pathology services at London hospitals.
“The death now confirmed is tragic, but it is not surprising. When systems that underpin diagnostics and treatment are brought down at scale, the consequences are not hypothetical. This is the real-world cost”– Deryck Mitchelson, Check Point
Delays in blood test results, over 10,000 canceled appointments, and nearly 2,000 postponed procedures underscored the human cost—alarming proof, for those that still require convincing, that cyberattacks aren’t just IT headaches but can cause much more devastating consequences.
The NHS struggle reflects a broader trend highlighting healthcare’s vulnerability to intrusions and appeal as a target industry, with hacking incidents accounting for the vast majority of breaches and average costs hitting over $10 million per breach.
These incidents expose weak defenses in one of our most critical industries, and it’s not limited to Europe! Over on this side of the pond, the 2024 Change Healthcare attack disrupted healthcare operations nationwide, caused delays in claims processing, directly impacted patient care, and created financial strain for partner providers, particularly smaller practices, inflicting real pain and eroding trust.
We’ve got to do better.
Qilin, the Russian-based cyber-criminal group responsible for the attack, claimed their motivation was revenge for the UK government’s actions in an undisclosed war. This, even if it were untrue, brings to light a very important point that often goes unrecognized: cybercrime isn’t always about stealing data or money, sometimes it’s just causing damage.
We neglect this at our own peril.
Stay secure out there!
Questions? Send us a note at info@mahlet.net or ping us on LinkedIn.
Resources:
- https://www.mahlet.net/
- https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp3ly4v2kp2o
- https://cybernews.com/cybercrime/patient-death-linked-to-nhs-cyberattack/#:~:text=The%20death%20of%20a%20person,a%20range%20of%20pathology%20services
- https://www.hipaajournal.com/healthcare-data-breach-statistics/
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/chrissamcfarlane/2024/06/28/healthcare-breaches-are-more-costly-than-financial-breaches-heres-why/
- https://hyperproof.io/resource/understanding-the-change-healthcare-breach/#:~:text=In%20late%20February%2C%20the%20ALPHV,small%20town%20rural%20physician%20practices.
