"The knock-on, and often unintentional, impacts of a cyberattack are so rarely discussed. As an industry, the focus is almost always placed on the economic damage: the ransom payment; the cost of business downtime; and goodness, don't forget those poor shareholders. But, in recent years, the toll on human life has become increasingly apparent. We know the poor sods working in the security operations center give up their weekends every time a phish slips through the net,"
"Yes, Qilin's ransomware attack on Synnovis, a pathology services provider to major London hospitals, took place in 2024. And yes, The Register exclusively reported on the devastating human cost of the attack at the time, too. But, earlier this year, King's College Hospital NHS Trust - one of the hospitals affected by the blood shortages - confirmed that a patient died during the period of service disruption caused by the cyberattack. It is still believed to be the first confirmed case of a ransomware-related death."
Cyberattack impacts are rarely discussed beyond economic damage such as ransom payments, business downtime and shareholder losses. The toll on human life has become increasingly apparent in recent years. Security operations staff and corporate communications teams endure long hours and stress after breaches. Real harms affect people who often do not realize how their lives could change because of cybercriminals seeking chaos or cash. The high volume of attacks makes 2025 worth revisiting, beginning with a confirmed ransomware-related death linked to Qilin's attack on Synnovis, which caused blood shortages at London hospitals. Previous incidents include a 2020 Düsseldorf hospital attack and an estimate that 42 to 67 US Medicare patients may have died because of ransomware.
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