Re: SMB
Also a lot of European ISP's will expose 445 to the internet.
At the end of the day you're responsible for your own perimeter defences. Operate a blacklist rather than a whitelist or whitelist something without adequate thought and it's your issue not your carrier's.
I suspect there may be an element of bullying/overriding within the NHS - senior X says this has to work so just get it done geek - and whilst it would not be operationally viable to necessarily go to the other extreme it is clear there needs to be a change. The article mentioned "cultural change" and that is the nail on the head for an incident such as this.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
