The Medibank data leak has been regarded as a “major wake-up call” by the Australian government.
In a cybersecurity incident hailed as a “major wake-up call” by the government on Thursday, hackers threatened to publish the stolen health data of 1,000 renowned Australians.
According to Medibank, one of Australia’s major private health insurers, the hackers claim to have taken 200GB of data.
“The offender has supplied a sample of data for 100 insurance,” the company told the Australian stock exchange.
“This claims data comprises a customer’s location where they obtained medical services, as well as codes referring to their diagnosis and treatments.”
On Wednesday morning, the insurer imposed a trading stop as news of the attack became public.
Unless Medibank paid a ransom, the hackers threatened to expose or sell the data, beginning with 1,000 high-profile Australians.
Last month, a breach targeting telecommunications provider Optus revealed the personal information of over nine million Australians – about a third of the population.
The Optus data breach was one of the biggest in Australian history.
Clare O’Neil, Minister of Home Affairs, said on Thursday that cybersecurity could no longer be taken for granted.
“This, along with Optus, is a major wake-up call for the nation,” she told ABC Radio.
“This is the new world in which we live. From now on, we will be subjected to a persistent cyberattack.”
According to Reuters, two Australian authorities have begun investigations into Optus, the country’s second largest telecommunications carrier, after a breach of its networks that resulted in the loss of personal data from up to 10 million accounts. The investigations only add to Optus’s woes, which announced the breach on September 22 and has since been under pressure from the government and the public for failing to prevent the enormous onslaught.
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pic by – Medibank said