Hackers Hit Hastings NHS Trust

Wendy McAuliffe ZDNet.co.uk

Published: 17 Mar 2000 17:03 GMT

Hackers have targeted the Hastings and Rother NHS Trust and gained unauthorised access to its voice mail and telephony system running up call costs in excess of ten thousand pounds.

According to the Trust, hackers were able to re-route international telephone calls through its telephone system. The calls made were largely international, but did not target any one country in particular.

A spokesperson at Hastings' NHS Trust confirms that "extraordinary activity" was detected by its telecom provider Monday morning, after the system had been exploited for two days. As soon as the exploit was detected, the voicemail system was disabled.

The person or group responsible for the exploit is not yet known, but the spokesman says the sheer number of calls made indicate that more than one person was involved.

Hastings and Rother NHS Trust is not yet sure if it will be responsible for incurring the call costs.

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