ISISISIS followers hack U.K. National Health Service

ISIS-linked hackers have attacked and defaced several NHS (U.K. National Health Service) websites in a series of cyberattacks.

The Independent reports that the hackers, going by the name of Tunisian Fallaga Team, targeted six websites three weeks ago, replacing legitimate web pages with graphic photos of the war in Syria.

The attacks said they were retaliating for the West’s interference in the Middle East. The hacked websites displayed the message: “Stop killing people in Syria,” followed by hashtags such as #Op_Russia and #save_aleppo.

The affected websites were damaged by the hacks, and analysts say that the attacks may have exposed patient data, even though initial examination found no evidence of this.

“Trust websites are public facing and are usually kept entirely separate from internal information,” the NHS said in a statement.

“This means that any unauthorized user gaining access to a Trust site would not usually have access to any patient information.”

The Tunisian terrorist group, together with the Global Islamic Caliphate and Team System DZ, are reportedly carrying out coordinated operations in support of ISIS.

The attack comes after the largest NHS hospital trust in England was cyberattacked in January, forcing its systems to be taken offline temporarily.

The attack on Barts Health Trust, which runs four hospitals in east London — The Royal London, St Bartholomew’s, Whipps Cross and Newham — left thousands of confidential patient files exposed.

The Public Accounts Committee recently stated in a report that ministers must “raise their game” to ensure Britain’s infrastructure could withstand a “high level cyberattack.”

It said that the government had taken too long to coordinate its “alphabet soup” of agencies involved in protecting Britain in cyberspace.

The NHS said: “We have no evidence that any organization has been deliberately targeting the NHS with this sort of attack.”

However, Khaled Fattal, the head of the MLi Group, which specializes in cyberthreat intelligence and security, was more skeptical.

“We don’t think that these attacks on the NHS were random acts,” Fattal told theIndependent.

“They appear to be deliberately targeted at a British public institution and in particular at an institution dealing with something which affects every member of the public, their health.”