The Irish health system has come under two cyber attacks over the past few days. The first attack came when the health department was forced to shut down all computer systems, including a venue for booking hospital visits. On Friday, a second cyber attack canceled several meetings scheduled for next week.

The BBC He confirmed These were two “ransomware” attacks: in these attacks, hackers block certain data, usually inaccessible content using encryption methods, and hold them hostage until the victim pays a ransom.

Secretary of State Simon Cowney Explained The attack on the Irish health care system’s information system is serious and should not be underestimated. “It takes time to clean each piece of data and save as much as possible”, He said Cowney.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly explained that the health system and cyber security technicians were working to address the problem. Donnelly confirmed that several appointments will be canceled in the coming days.

HSE and our cyber security team work through the IT systems over the weekend. The impact will vary across the country as some hospitals have data on patients locally. However there will be cancellations in the coming days. Patients will be contacted. https://t.co/BxrfhiQEBD

– Stephen Donelli (onn Donellist Stephen) May 15, 2021