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An enormous and unprecedented cyber attack took place this week on numerous key infrastructures.
While the effects were felt all over the world in almost 100 countries, the NHS was the most terrifyingly significant target for us in Britain - literally, the lifeline of the UK.
Malicious ransomware called 'WannaCry' infected thousands of computers, holding patients' medical records captive via encryption and demanding a BitCoin payment for their release.
The news broke at approximately 3pm GMT, with The Independent, BBC, the Guardian, Sky News and Reuters all sharing the news at roughly the same time.
In other equally important news, it was also National Limerick Day.
GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters), the government's first line of defence for cyber attack and online inteligence, posted this tweet just after news broke:
You might be forgiven for thinking that this was a joke: a damningly ironic statement as the NHS effectively ground to a halt thanks to a 'cyber threat'.
But no.
It seems that either someone wasn't up on their news, or that the tweet had indeed been written earlier and prescheduled for release.
However, the irony was not lost on Twitter...
There were also some suggestions on improving the poetic prowess...
Although, as one person pointed out, with classic British understatement...
More from The Independent:
NHS cyber attack: Hospitals warn patients to stay away from A&E as ransomware cripples systems
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