Evaluating Cyber Threats to the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) Spine Network

Abstract

This report serves as a brief review of United Kingdom’s (UK) National Health Service’s (NHS) information system infrastructure and the various security threats that could lead to potential breaches of personal health information hosted on the network. Specifically, the document will address details of the NHS Spine infrastructure and how its components, users, and security mechanisms have a great impact on the NHS’ overall ability to provide quality service to the UK’s healthcare customers. The report will also provide an overview of the NHS system, its sub-components, and how they are all connected via the Spine infrastructure to serve UK citizens seeking healthcare assistance. Lastly, the report will touch on recommendations for role-based access control and identity management.