Information Security News: Conficker seizes city's hospital network

[InfoSec News <alerts () infosecnews org>]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/01/20/sheffield_conficker/

By Chris Williams
The Register
20th January 2009

Exclusive -- Staff at hospitals across Sheffield are battling a major 
computer worm outbreak after managers turned off Windows security 
updates for all 8,000 PCs on the vital network, The Register has 
learned.

It's been confirmed that more than 800 computers have been infected with 
self-replicating Conficker code. Insiders at Sheffield Teaching 
Hospitals Trust said they suspect many more machines are affected but 
have not been reported to IT.

The Trust told The Register it now has the outbreak under control and is 
engaged in "clearing up" remnants. Non-urgent appointments in the 
medical imaging department had to be cancelled while its computers were 
disinfected. A Trust spokeswoman said no other direct impact on patient 
care was known.

The decision to disble automatic security updates was taken during 
Christmas week after PCs in an operating theatre rebooted mid-surgery. 
Conficker was detected on December 29.

[...]


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