The recent nationwide cyber attack on NHS systems was found to be linked to an ageing IT infrastructure. (Source NHS Digital)

Does this sound similar to your IT systems?

Why are ageing IT systems to blame? Many NHS trusts proved vulnerable to ransom ware because they had not kept up to date with Microsoft security patches. Which raises alarm bells about the age of systems in use at many NHS trusts. Support for Windows XP for example was withdrawn in April 2014 but according to Digital Health Intelligence data on NHS infrastructure as many as 20% of NHS organisations could still be relying upon it as their primary operating system, and around 90% are thought to run something on it somewhere in the organisation. Another crucial system flagged is Internet Web Browsers. For instance Internet Explorer ended its support for all older versions of the browser on 12 January 2016. This means only the most current version of Internet Explorer available will receive technical supports and security updates. Internet Explorer 11 is the last version, and will continue to receive security updates, compatibility fixes and technical support on Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 ONLY. As a result it is an important reminder for all organisations to ensure that IT systems are up to date and staff have the tools and awareness they need to stay cyber secure. Consequently organisations running out-dated systems are more vulnerable to these types of attack.

Can you afford for this to happen to your computer networks?

Here are some helpful tips to prevent attacks on to your IT infrastructure: -

Keep your organisation's security software patches up to date
Ensure your organisation's operating systems; Internet browsers are the latest versions.
Use proper antivirus software services
Most importantly for ransom ware, backup the data that matters to you.

For more advice on preventing attacks head to the National Cyber Security Centre Website. Whenever we develop Induction, E Learning systems or Websites for our customers we always advise them to use the latest software specifications in order to avoid potential disruption. Furthermore if you have any enquiries about our systems and what we can offer please feel free to get in touch at Hello@res.digital We hope you found this post useful.