Failed IT systems at Capita fuel fears of cyber-attack on crucial NHS provider

theguardian.com:

Computer systems abruptly stopped working at outsourcing group Capita on Friday morning, triggering fears that a company that runs crucial operations for the NHS and the military could be under cyber-attack.

Staff are understood to have been unable to access IT systems at the outsourcing company since Friday morning, with an early investigation yet to establish the cause.

A spokesperson for Capita, who was unable to access their own email, said in a statement dictated over the phone: “We are aware of a technical issue with our systems, which we are investigating.”

Some employees still have access to computers and email and the company said that its investigation was still in the early stages and that it was too soon to tell if the failure was due to a cyber-attack.

The outage, first reported by the Times, is likely to concern the UK government because Capita has contracts worth hundreds of millions of pounds to manage key public services across a broad spread of government departments.

Its public service division, whose main customer is the British government, reported revenues of £1.4bn last year, consolidating its position as a key supplier at the heart of the government’s efforts to improve digital services.

It provides primary care support services for the NHS, recruitment for the British army, maintenance at the UK’s Submarine Training Centre and fire and rescue operations for the Ministry of Defence, a contract worth £525m over 12 years.

It operates Transport for London’s road charging system, covering the congestion charge and ultra low emissions zone, and the Department for Work and Pensions’ disability payment assessments.

It also holds a contract with HM Revenue and Customs to automate some of the tax collection