A cyber-attack on MediSecure earlier this year compromised the personal and health data of nearly 13 million Australians [6], making it one of the largest breaches in Australian history [10] [11].
Description
The breach, discovered in April 2024 and occurring between November 2023 and May 2024, affected 12.9 million individuals. The attack involved ransomware on a server containing sensitive information such as names [1], dates of birth [1] [3] [4] [5] [7] [8] [10] [12], addresses [1] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [10], phone numbers [1] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [10], Medicare numbers [1] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [10], prescription details [1] [2] [3] [4] [6] [7] [11], and reasons for medication [1] [3] [4] [7] [8]. Credit card details were not affected [9] [10]. Approximately 6.5 terabytes of prescription data was leaked on the dark web by a malicious third-party actor in April. MediSecure entered voluntary administration in June [6], hindering its response to the breach [10]. The Australian Government awarded a tender for prescription services to eRx [2], unaffected by the attack [2]. Concerns have been raised about potential vulnerabilities to phishing, identity-related crime [1] [3] [4] [8], and cyber scam activities for those impacted. A forensic analysis of the data was conducted in collaboration with McGrathNicol Advisory [12], the National Cyber Security Coordinator [2] [3] [4] [6] [7] [8] [12], and the National Office of Cyber Security [12].
Conclusion
The breach may lead to an increase in cybercriminal activities, and individuals are warned against accessing stolen information on the dark web [1] [3]. Lieutenant General Michelle McGuinness [6], the government’s national cyber security coordinator [2] [6], advised caution and vigilance against potential scams targeting individuals [6]. Impacted individuals may see an increase in phishing and cyber scam activities [7], emphasizing the importance of continuing to access medications and fill prescriptions without disruption [6].
References
[1] https://www.inqld.com.au/insights/2024/07/19/more-than-13-million-have-their-medical-data-exposed-in-all-time-information-hack
[2] https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/crime/personal-and-health-information-of-129-million-australians-leaked-in-aprils-medisecure-breach/news-story/c515efa06386a1fc9be5fb1af0e708de
[3] https://www.corowafreepress.com.au/national/millions-of-australians-hit-by-prescription-cyber-hack/
[4] https://au.news.yahoo.com/millions-people-hit-prescription-cyber-092038099.html
[5] https://cybersecuritynews.com/medisecure-data-breach/
[6] https://www.smh.com.au/national/cyberattack-on-prescription-service-medisecure-affects-13-million-australians-20240718-p5juvi.html
[7] https://www.inkl.com/news/millions-of-people-hit-by-prescription-cyber-attack
[8] https://www.aapnews.com.au/news/millions-of-people-hit-by-prescription-cyber-attack
[9] https://www.forbes.com.au/news/innovation/12-9-million-australians-had-data-stolen-in-cyber-attack-medisecure/
[10] https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-18/medisecure-data-cyber-hack-12-million/104112736
[11] https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/professional/nearly-13-million-australians-impacted-by-medisecu
[12] https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/13-million-australians-medisecure/
