Hundreds of UK ambulances rely on software vulnerable to cyberattack

By Phee Waterfield

Yorkshire Ambulance Service ambulances are vulnerable to hacking

Ian Dagnall / Alamy

HUNDREDS of ambulances in the UK are still using devices that run on defunct Windows operating systems, making them more vulnerable to cyberattacks. The WannaCry ransomware that knocked out computers at dozens of hospitals in 2017 took advantage of a similar vulnerability.

According to data obtained through Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, North East Ambulance Service and Yorkshire Ambulance Service use devices in their ambulances daily that run on Windows XP.

About 500 vehicles run by the Yorkshire Ambulance Service have a mobile device terminal that controls a …