Medibank Hack Gets More Gross As Hacker Leaks Sensitive Patient Details

Anusuya Lahiri
2 min read
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In this article:

  • The major hack of an Australian health insurer’s patient data, now tied to Russian cybercriminals, escalated in scope as it leaked more information identifying individuals on a dark web forum, the Washington Post reported.

  • The information leaked included patients who received abortions or treatment for mental health issues, alcoholism, and addiction recovery.

  • The head of the national police called it a crime with “malicious and far-reaching consequences,” which has “the potential to impact millions of Australians and damage a significant Australian business.”

  • Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw held Russia responsible for the hack. “Our intelligence points to a group of loosely affiliated cybercriminals who are likely responsible for past significant breaches in countries across the world.”

  • The insurer, Medibank, had said in a statement that the data included names, addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, and email addresses.

  • CEO David Koczkar said the information’s release after it rejected a demand for ransom money was “an attack on the most vulnerable members of our community.”

  • Medibank acknowledged the hack on October 13.

  • The hacker accessed the personal information of 9.7 million customers and 480,000 health claims.

  • The hackers reportedly posted a $10 million ransom demand that had increased to $15 million.

  • Telecommunications company Optus was the victim of an attack in September, with the data of 10 million customers accessed illegally.

  • Uber Technologies, Inc (NYSE: UBER) recently held the Lapsus$ group responsible for its recent hack. The breach forced Uber to shut down some internal systems temporarily.

  • Lapsus$ was held responsible for the hacks of Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ: MSFT), Samsung Electronics Co, Ltd (OTC: SSNLF), Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ: NVDA), and Okta Inc (NASDAQ: OKTA).

  • Photo by S. Hermann & F. Richter from Pixabay

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