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NHS Scotland hacked more than 100 times

SCOTTISH NHS boards have faced 117 cyber attacks, with one facing an offensive from North Korea, in the past five years, health boards say.

Kim Jong Un’s regime is accused of hacking NHS Borders in 2017, though it is unclear what the reason for an attack may have been.

In response to a Freedom of Information request by the Scottish Conservatives, six health boards said their cyber defences had been successfully breached.

NHS Lanarkshire topped the table with 62 attacks sustained since 2014, with NHS Fife coming second with 47.

The Western Isles health board received five attacks, while NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, Grampian and Borders were each the victim of one attack.

Barring NHS Borders, all were hit by the Wannacry ransomware hack in 2017, which reportedly cost the service as a whole £92 million to defend against.

The true number of hacks is likely to be higher, given that some boards did not hold the information requested.

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