07 December 2023

Greenland hit by cyber attack, finds its health service crippled

For the past week and a half, Greenland's health service hasreportedly been struggling to recover from a cyber attack that has crippled its IT systems, causing long waiting times and forcing doctors to resort to using pen and paper instead of computers. Although it is not currently believed that any data has been stolen by the attackers, the attack on Greenland's health service has caused large amounts of disruption since May 9 2022. Patients are being told to expect longer waiting times than usual, and that some appointments may have to be cancelled. In addition, Greenland's government -the Naalakkersuisut - are advising those seeking assistance that they should contact the health service via telephone rather than via email. Coincidentally, the attacks on Greenland's health service came almost precisely five years after the WannaCry ransomware struck the United Kingdom's National Health Service (NHS), causing headlines worldwide.