A cyberattack forces Ireland to shut down the public health computer system

The Health Executive Service (HSE, in its acronym in English) of Ireland has decided to close its computer system early this Friday to protect itself from a "serious and significant cyber attack" suffered during the early hours of the morning, as explained by the executive director from the HSE, Paul Reid. It is a

, as the type of malicious application is called that hijacks system data, paralyzes it and demands a ransom for its release. “We are working with the most relevant information security providers as well as with the national cybersecurity team to solve it. That includes the Irish Police, the Army and other third parties, ”Reid said.

So far, the Irish health authorities have pointed out, the authors of the cyberattack have not demanded any specific demand.

The maneuver has focused on accessing the data stored in the central servers of the system, and has affected all national and local programs that manage essential health care services.

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The Rotunda Hospital, and the National Maternity Hospital, both in Dublin, have canceled all planned visits, except for pregnant women over 36 weeks gestation.

Most of the equipment in the Irish public health network is part of the local infrastructure of each health center, so its operation has not been affected.

However, the radiology system known as Pacs, used by many of the country's hospitals, is integrated into a national system that has been affected.

Patients from the oncology services who were waiting to know the results of their tests this Friday have seen the information delayed.

"We are seeing a lot of anguish in our clinics and plants because of what happened," the oncologist at the University of Cork Hospital, Seamus O'Reilly, told public television RTÉ.

The system that manages the vaccination campaign for covid-19 in Ireland has not been affected by the attack, explained those responsible for the HSE, which will keep the scheduled appointments.

The National Ambulance Service also operates normally.

This serious incident comes four years after a similar attack caused serious problems and disruptions in the UK's National Health Service (NHS).

Then, the WannaCry virus forced to paralyze the activity of almost 600 health centers throughout the country, either because their systems were infected by the computer virus or as a protection measure.