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£19.99The security of patient data has been called into question following the discovery of a software flaw at a private medical services company, Medefer, which handles around 1,500 NHS patient referrals each month. The flaw, which was detected in November, raised concerns about the vulnerability of patient data to potential hacking attacks. A software engineer who identified the flaw believes it may have existed for six years, although Medefer denies this claim and assures that patient data has not been compromised.
Efforts to address the issue began promptly after the flaw was uncovered, with Medefer fixing the vulnerability within days. In February, the company engaged an external security agency to conduct a review of its data management systems. The NHS has also taken notice of the situation, stating that they are investigating the concerns regarding Medefer and will take appropriate action if necessary.
Medefer’s system enables patients to schedule virtual appointments with doctors and grants clinicians access to relevant patient data. However, the software bug exposed the company’s internal patient record system to potential hackers, as stated by the software engineer who uncovered the flaw. Despite indications that patient information may not have been compromised, the engineer emphasized the need for a thorough investigation to confirm this.
Although Medefer reported the issue to regulatory bodies such as the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for transparency, cybersecurity experts have expressed concerns about the security of NHS data within Medefer’s systems. With the external security agency set to complete its review, Medefer’s CEO, Dr. Bahman Nedjat-Shokouhi, reassured that patient data has not been breached and emphasized the company’s commitment to regular external security audits to uphold data security standards
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