Hacker holds Australian health insurer’s data for ransom
2 years, 5 months ago

Hacker holds Australian health insurer’s data for ransom

Associated Press  

CANBERRA, Australia — A cybercriminal was holding for ransom an Australian health insurer’s customer data including diagnoses and treatments, in the nation’s second major privacy breach in a month, officials said on Thursday. Trade in Medibank shares has been halted on the Australian Securities Exchange since Wednesday when police were alerted that the company had been contacted by what it described as a “criminal” who wanted to negotiate over the stolen personal data of customers. “We are going to be under relentless cyberattack essentially from here on in, and what it means is that we need to do a lot better as a country to make sure that we are doing everything we can within organizations to protect customer data and also for citizens to be doing everything that they can,” O’Neil said. O’Neil described the Medibank breach as a “ransomware attack,” which the government defines as an attack with malware that locks or encrypts files so that the owner can no longer access them.

Data Customer Optus Hacker Holds Medibank Breach  privacy  insurers  optus  hacker  holds  data  medibank  breach  diagnoses  customer  australian  health  oneil  ransom  personal

History of this topic

Data breach hits US firm DISA—3.3 million affected as hackers steal personal info
1 month, 1 week ago

Data breach hits US firm DISA—3.3 million affected as hackers steal personal info

Live Mint  

DISA Global Solutions, a US-based provider of employee screening services, has disclosed a data breach impacting more than 3.3 million individuals. The company, a provider of background screening, drug and alcohol testing, and compliance solutions, confirmed the breach in a filing with Maine’s attorney general on Monday. Sensitive information stolen DISA in a separate filing with the Massachusetts attorney general …

Urgent warning issued to 1M Americans after medical records are stolen
1 month, 4 weeks ago

Urgent warning issued to 1M Americans after medical records are stolen

Daily Mail  

An urgent warning has been issued to more than one million Americans after their medical records were stolen in a data breach. The data may included the patient's name, date of birth, address, phone number, email, diagnoses, treatment details, test results, Social Security number, and health insurance information. CHC noted that patients who received a COVID test or vaccine at …

Hackers boast of health workers visa data breach, sparking police probe
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Hackers boast of health workers visa data breach, sparking police probe

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The hacker claimed to be selling details of people’s passports, work permits, UK visas …

The Worst Hacks of 2024
3 months, 1 week ago

The Worst Hacks of 2024

Wired  

Every year has its own mix of digital security debacles, from the absurd to the sinister, but 2024 was particularly marked by hacking sprees in which cybercriminals and state-backed espionage groups repeatedly exploited the same weakness or type of target to fuel their frenzy. Microsoft said in January that it had been breached by Russia's “Midnight Blizzard” hackers in an …

Court filings reveal inner workings of alleged hackers accused of the ShinyHunters data breach
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Court filings reveal inner workings of alleged hackers accused of the ShinyHunters data breach

ABC  

Court documents in the arrest of two men accused of being associated with an international hacking syndicate have revealed how they allegedly got access to "billions" of sensitive customer records. "Moucka, Binns and their co-conspirators accessed and obtained data from at least 10 different organisations' Cloud Computing Instances using stolen access credentials," the indictment said. "The co-conspirators … used software …

Star Health policyholders’ data up for sale on dark net
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Star Health policyholders’ data up for sale on dark net

Deccan Chronicle  

Hyderabad:Personal details of more than 3.1 crore Star Health Insurance policyholders have reportedly been leaked, and are up for sale on the dark web. The leaked data, which includes sensitive information like mobile numbers, PAN card details, full residential addresses and annual income, has raised major privacy and security concerns for policyholders across India, including those in Telangana and Andhra …

Cybercrime expert 'very confident' the MediSecure data of almost 13 million Australians has already been sold
8 months, 1 week ago

Cybercrime expert 'very confident' the MediSecure data of almost 13 million Australians has already been sold

ABC  

Cybersecurity experts say the highly sensitive data of 12.9 million Australians, stolen from eScripts provider MediSecure, has already been sold on the dark web and is up for sale again. "Basically what they're saying is, 'We have sold this to one person, so we're going to lower the price from the original $50,000 to $25,000'," Jamie O'Reilly, founder of Australian …

Column: Why hugely profitable corporations won’t spend enough to keep hackers from stealing your private info
8 months, 2 weeks ago

Column: Why hugely profitable corporations won’t spend enough to keep hackers from stealing your private info

LA Times  

AT&T is one of America’s largest telecommunications companies. “Telecom providers hold some of the most sensitive information on consumers — a map of their daily lives — where they are, who they’re talking with, their social graph, everything,” says cybersecurity professional Brian Krebs. They point out all the data that wasn’t compromised — AT&T told customers that the latest debacle …

How Medibank allegedly ignored the warning signs in one of Australia's worst cybersecurity breaches
9 months, 1 week ago

How Medibank allegedly ignored the warning signs in one of Australia's worst cybersecurity breaches

ABC  

Pity the IT guy. In court documents, the commissioner has laid out a timeline of alleged cybersecurity blunders by Medibank amounting to "serious interferences with the privacy of… approximately 9.7 million individuals". It says on around August 7, 2022, the IT contractor's personal computer was hacked by a "threat actor" who stole his Medibank username and password. Medibank warned about …

Change Healthcare to start notifying customers who had data exposed in cyberattack
9 months, 1 week ago

Change Healthcare to start notifying customers who had data exposed in cyberattack

Associated Press  

Change Healthcare is starting to notify hospitals, insurers and other customers that they may have had patient information exposed in a massive cyberattack. Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of health care giant UnitedHealth Group, provides technology used to submit and process billions of insurance claims a year. The attack triggered a disruption of payment and claims processing around the country, stressing …

Health board's chilling warning to EVERY patient after security breach: assume your data was hacked
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Health board's chilling warning to EVERY patient after security breach: assume your data was hacked

Daily Mail  

A Scottish health board has warned everyone in its area to assume that some of their data has been published online after its IT system was hacked. Officials confirmed that ‘over three terabytes of data’ was published by the hackers following February’s cyber attack, when a ‘substantial amount of patient and staff-identifiable data’ was stolen. ‘This leaflet sets out the …

Security News This Week: Ransomware Attacks Are Getting Worse
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Security News This Week: Ransomware Attacks Are Getting Worse

Wired  

Despite years worth of efforts to eliminate the scourge of ransomware targeting schools, hospitals, and critical infrastructure worldwide, experts are warning that the crisis is only heating up, with criminal gangs growing ever more aggressive in their tactics. United States lawmakers and intelligence officials are circling their wagons following the revelation of Israel’s involvement in a malign influence campaign that …

Medical-Targeted Ransomware Is Breaking Records After Change Healthcare’s $22M Payout
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Medical-Targeted Ransomware Is Breaking Records After Change Healthcare’s $22M Payout

Wired  

When Change Healthcare paid $22 million in March to a ransomware gang that had crippled the company along with hundreds of hospitals, medical practices, and pharmacies across the US, the cybersecurity industry warned that Change's extortion payment would only fuel a vicious cycle: Rewarding hackers who had carried out a ruthless act of sabotage against the US health care system …

HIV tests dropped and a return to paper working: Inside the London hospitals being held to ransom by Russian hackers
9 months, 4 weeks ago

HIV tests dropped and a return to paper working: Inside the London hospitals being held to ransom by Russian hackers

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A cyberattack on NHS hospitals could take months to resolve, with …

Medibank is being sued by the privacy regulator, a move welcomed by former customers and cybersecurity experts
9 months, 4 weeks ago

Medibank is being sued by the privacy regulator, a move welcomed by former customers and cybersecurity experts

ABC  

In short : The Australian Information Commissioner is suing Medibank over a data breach at the health insurer in 2022. : The Australian Information Commissioner is suing Medibank over a data breach at the health insurer in 2022. Health insurance giant Medibank is facing a maximum fine theoretically in the trillions of dollars after the Australian Information Commissioner filed proceedings …

Kaiser Permanente notifies 13.4 million members of data breach. City of Hope also reported breach
11 months, 1 week ago

Kaiser Permanente notifies 13.4 million members of data breach. City of Hope also reported breach

LA Times  

Health insurance giant Kaiser Permanente apologized to 13.4 million of its members, telling them that some of their search information may have been inadvertently transmitted to Google, other search engines and media platforms. The Oakland-based company reported that “certain online technologies” that were previously installed on Kaiser Permanente websites and apps were transmitting information such as medical terms that members …

UnitedHealth says wide swath of patient files may have been taken in Change cyberattack
11 months, 1 week ago

UnitedHealth says wide swath of patient files may have been taken in Change cyberattack

Associated Press  

UnitedHealth says files with personal information that could cover a “substantial portion of people in America” may have been taken in the cyberattack earlier this year on its Change Healthcare business. UnitedHealth did say that some screen shots containing protected health information or personally identifiable information were posted for about a week online on the dark web, which standard browsers …

Experts examine how hackers took down a top digital health care payment system
11 months, 4 weeks ago

Experts examine how hackers took down a top digital health care payment system

NPR  

Experts examine how hackers took down a top digital health care payment system Pharmacies have a backlog of insurance claims waiting to be paid after the payment system was hacked in February. That's after hackers took down one of the top digital payment systems for the health care industry in late February. The health care industry has been a top …

Health care company ties Russian-linked cybercriminals to prescriptions breach
1 year, 1 month ago

Health care company ties Russian-linked cybercriminals to prescriptions breach

NPR  

Health care company ties Russian-linked cybercriminals to prescriptions breach Enlarge this image toggle caption Chris Carlson/AP Chris Carlson/AP A ransomware attack is disrupting pharmacies and hospitals nationwide, leaving patients with problems filling prescriptions or seeking medical treatment. On Thursday, UnitedHealth Group accused a notorious ransomware gang known as Black Cat, or AlphV, of hacking health care payment systems across the …

‘Mother of All Breaches’: 26 billion data records from X, MySpace stolen
1 year, 2 months ago

‘Mother of All Breaches’: 26 billion data records from X, MySpace stolen

Hindustan Times  

A cybersecurity researcher has reportedly discovered a leak of 26 billion records, making it to be the ‘mother of all breaches’. This breach reported by Bob Dyachenko, the owner of SecurityDiscovery.com is beyond mere credentials, exposing highly sensitive data that holds significant value for malicious actors. The leaked data records go beyond mere credentials, containing highly sensitive information that could …

Australia goes on cyber offensive with sweeping resilience plan
1 year, 4 months ago

Australia goes on cyber offensive with sweeping resilience plan

The Hindu  

Australia will give cyber health checks for small businesses, increase cyber law enforcement funding and introduce mandatory reporting of ransomware attacks under a security overhaul announced on Wednesday after a spate of attacks. The federal government said it will also subject telecommunications firms to tougher cyber reporting rules which apply to critical infrastructure, seek migrants to build up the cyber …

SA Health patients caught up in data breach of third-party platform Personify Care
1 year, 5 months ago

SA Health patients caught up in data breach of third-party platform Personify Care

ABC  

Thousands of South Australian public health patients are being contacted over a data breach of a third-party run portal. Key points: The SA government says the health information of 121 patients and the names and phone numbers of about 12,000 others was deleted by an "unauthorised third party" The data of SA Health patients was held by third-party provider Personify …

Russian ransomware gang AlphV targets pathology company, law firms in latest string of attacks
1 year, 6 months ago

Russian ransomware gang AlphV targets pathology company, law firms in latest string of attacks

ABC  

In short: Russian hackers have claimed they are behind a series of cyber attacks on a number of Victorian companies, and say they have stolen at least 4.95 terbytes of data Russian hackers have claimed they are behind a series of cyber attacks on a number of Victorian companies, and say they have stolen at least 4.95 terbytes of data …

Privacy watchdog 'monitoring' telemarketer after financial information posted to dark web in data breach
1 year, 7 months ago

Privacy watchdog 'monitoring' telemarketer after financial information posted to dark web in data breach

ABC  

Two charities have said that banking details of their supporters were stolen and leaked on the dark web in a major cyber hack affecting more than 50,000 Australians. Key points: Pareto Phone collects donations from charity supporters At least 12 charities have confirmed donor data was leaked About 50,000 people have been impacted The ABC revealed last week that thousands …

Fears over safety of YOUR sensitive data as shock probe reveals bungling NHS staff have wrongly handed over confidential data hundreds of times in last two years
1 year, 7 months ago

Fears over safety of YOUR sensitive data as shock probe reveals bungling NHS staff have wrongly handed over confidential data hundreds of times in last two years

Daily Mail  

Bungling NHS staff have wrongly disclosed confidential data hundreds of times in the last two years. However, five NHS bodies were issued with formal reprimands as a result of investigations MailOnline's probe – which goes up until January 2023 – revealed the most common breach was for someone getting unauthorised access to people's personal data. The lack of data security …

A cyberattack has disrupted hospitals and health care...
1 year, 7 months ago

A cyberattack has disrupted hospitals and health care...

Daily Mail  

A cyberattack has wreaked havoc on hospital computer systems in five states, forcing some emergency rooms to close and ambulances to be diverted. One of the biggest healthcare hacks in US history last year saw a three-year-old boy in Iowa accidentally given a megadose of opioids after hospital computer systems were shut down. Some 16 hospitals across five states have …

See your identity pieced together from stolen data
1 year, 10 months ago

See your identity pieced together from stolen data

ABC  

Have you ever wondered how much of your personal information is available online? Now, we’ve used Hunt's database to help you: Find out what data breaches you’ve been caught up in Find out what data breaches you’ve been caught up in See a visual summary of the potential scale of the leaked information out there about you See a visual …

What can cyber hackers do with your data — and how to stop it
1 year, 11 months ago

What can cyber hackers do with your data — and how to stop it

ABC  

When Beth* was caught up in the Optus data hack, she had to get a new drivers licence. University of Tasmania senior business and economic lecturer Joel Scanlan said they helped to form a "picture" of someone's identity, which could be used to commit crime. Dr Scanlan said hackers often send out millions of emails based on one hack, in …

Names, addresses and bank account details potentially at risk after hack, Tasmanian government says
1 year, 11 months ago

Names, addresses and bank account details potentially at risk after hack, Tasmanian government says

ABC  

Financial data including names, addresses, invoices and bank account numbers may have been accessed in the cyber security breach affecting the Tasmanian government, the state's minister of technology says. Key points: Ransomware group Cl0p gained access to a third-party file transfer service used by the Tasmanian government Two days ago, minister Madeleine Ogilvie said it appeared no data had been …

Data hack by Cl0p ransomware group still being assessed, Tasmania's technology minister says
2 years ago

Data hack by Cl0p ransomware group still being assessed, Tasmania's technology minister says

ABC  

Tasmania's technology minister says there is "no indication" government-held data has been compromised as part of a hack of a third-party file transfer site by a cybercrime enterprise but added the investigations were "ongoing". Key points: Last Friday, the Tasmanian government announced it was caught up in a data theft incident which has also affected Crown Resorts and Rio Tinto, …

Tasmanians affected by security breach of third-party file transfer service
2 years ago

Tasmanians affected by security breach of third-party file transfer service

ABC  

The Tasmanian government has come under fire for providing a lack of detail on a data breach that may have compromised personal information. Key points: The Tasmanian government is investigating a breach of a third-party file transfer service which it said "may have resulted in the loss of data held by the government" It has declined to say which file …

This is the most detailed portrait yet of data breaches in Australia
2 years ago

This is the most detailed portrait yet of data breaches in Australia

ABC  

But there's still a huge amount missing from the picture. "It's only really a few data breaches that we're talking about as a community," she says, adding this level of opacity around data breaches is "quite extraordinary". Largest data breaches disclosed to OAIC since 2020 Following further inquiries, the OAIC revealed that the number of Australians affected by the two …

Health data breach hitting Congress ‘could be extraordinary’
2 years ago

Health data breach hitting Congress ‘could be extraordinary’

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — House leaders say the impact of a hack of a health insurance marketplace used by members of Congress “could be extraordinary,” exposing sensitive personal data of lawmakers, their employees and families. In a letter to the exchange’s director posted on Twitter, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said the breach “significantly increase the …

Health data breach hitting Congress 'could be extraordinary'
2 years ago

Health data breach hitting Congress 'could be extraordinary'

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Hackers who broke into a …

Congress members warned of significant health data breach
2 years ago

Congress members warned of significant health data breach

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Members of the House and …

Medibank data leak extends to Australians who sought quotes from health insurance firm ahm
2 years, 2 months ago

Medibank data leak extends to Australians who sought quotes from health insurance firm ahm

ABC  

Potential health insurance customers who requested quotes with ahm have been caught up in the data breach affecting millions of Medibank customers. Key points: The personal information of up to 9.7 million Medibank customers was stolen and released in October 2022 People who had obtained quotes with health insurer ahm, part of Medibank, have been caught up in the data …

Three class action firms join forces to litigate Medibank breach
2 years, 2 months ago

Three class action firms join forces to litigate Medibank breach

ABC  

Australian law firms have joined forces to run a landmark data breach complaint against private health insurer Medibank after data from millions of customers was released on the dark web in October. Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, Bannister Law Class Actions and Centennial Lawyers have united to run the data breach complaint against Medibank, which they say could secure compensation for as …

The editorial questions ABC News journalists faced when covering the Medibank data leak
2 years, 3 months ago

The editorial questions ABC News journalists faced when covering the Medibank data leak

ABC  

"Added one more file: abortions." Business reporter Emilia Terzon was among a team of ABC journalists who investigated the Medibank data leak over several weeks. As well as the "abortion" file, they posted stolen data about Medibank customers who had sought treatment for substance use, something that one-in-20 of us have struggled with, according to federal healthcare data. Medibank details …

After Optus, Medibank hacks, the government plans to firm-up defences for ATO, Centrelink data
2 years, 3 months ago

After Optus, Medibank hacks, the government plans to firm-up defences for ATO, Centrelink data

ABC  

The protection of taxpayer, health and Centrelink data against bot attacks and other cybercrimes will be beefed up as the government works to lock down sensitive data. Tender documents show the Department of Finance is looking for better security after hack attacks on Optus and Medibank exposed the data of millions, leaving people exposed to extortion and identity theft. "The …

More Medibank customer data released onto dark web. Has everything now been released?
2 years, 4 months ago

More Medibank customer data released onto dark web. Has everything now been released?

ABC  

Medibank has confirmed that more stolen customer data has been released on the dark web, amid reports the hackers have released all files remaining in their possession. Key points: Medibank has confirmed that further stolen customer data has been released The hackers have commented "case closed" on their post describing the latest release Cyber security experts say it remains unclear …

Medibank hack: Russian hackers release biggest trove of information yet
2 years, 4 months ago

Medibank hack: Russian hackers release biggest trove of information yet

Daily Mail  

Russian hackers are believed to have published all remaining stolen data from Medibank - putting the personal information of up to 9.7million Australians at risk. About 9.7 million current and former customers are believed to have been affected by the data breach November 30 is 'International Cyber Security Day', an ironic occasion for the hackers to post the data. Medibank …

Cyber black market selling hacked ATO and MyGov logins shows Medibank and Optus only tip of iceberg
2 years, 4 months ago

Cyber black market selling hacked ATO and MyGov logins shows Medibank and Optus only tip of iceberg

ABC  

The highly sensitive information of millions of Australians — including logins for personal Australian Tax Office accounts, medical and personal data of thousands of NDIS recipients, and confidential details of an alleged assault of a Victorian school student by their teacher — is among terabytes of hacked data being openly traded online. Key points: ABC Investigations can reveal confidential documents …

Medibank defends decision to not pay hackers ransom for stolen data as it contacts 480,000 customers
2 years, 4 months ago

Medibank defends decision to not pay hackers ransom for stolen data as it contacts 480,000 customers

ABC  

Medibank’s boss says the company will begin directly communicating with nearly half a million customers whose health data is believed to have been stolen, weeks after it first became aware hackers had breached its customer database. Medibank's chief executive David Koczkar said the company had started on Wednesday communicating with about 480,000 customers whose health data was believed to have …

ANOTHER hospital system goes down in cyberattack: Half a million records in Texas 'are leaked'
2 years, 4 months ago

ANOTHER hospital system goes down in cyberattack: Half a million records in Texas 'are leaked'

Daily Mail  

The hospital group is being sued by two patients for acting ‘in a reckless manner' with their personal data They claimed to have over a million patient records that they will release 'soon' in two further leaks online OakBend Medical Center said 500,000 individuals were affected by the breach, but it could be over a million Have YOU or anyone …

Cyber Security Minister Clare O'Neil flags multiple reforms to protect personal data after Medibank data leaks
2 years, 4 months ago

Cyber Security Minister Clare O'Neil flags multiple reforms to protect personal data after Medibank data leaks

ABC  

Cyber Security Minister Clare O'Neil says Australia needs to "wake up out of the cyber-slumber", flagging a slew of reforms designed to protect personal data including making it illegal to meet ransom demands. Key points: The Federal Government is considering making it illegal to pay ransoms Clare O'Neil says payments fuel the ransomware business She says data retention laws are …

Cyber criminals want Medibank customers to feel ashamed of their medical procedures. Let's refuse
2 years, 4 months ago

Cyber criminals want Medibank customers to feel ashamed of their medical procedures. Let's refuse

ABC  

It says a lot about the nature of the Russian Medibank hackers that their first data drop was of clients who had sought abortions. Then came a bunch of files of customers who had received health services for alcohol-related illnesses – something I imagine some Russian crooks would know a fair bit about. Not having succeeded in blackmailing Medibank into …

Australia blames Russians for health insurance data theft
2 years, 4 months ago

Australia blames Russians for health insurance data theft

Associated Press  

CANBERRA, Australia — Moscow must he held to account for Russian cybercriminals accused of hacking Australia’s largest health insurer and dumping customers’ personal medical records on the dark web, Australian officials said Friday. A group of “loosely affiliated cybercriminals” operating like a business in Russia were likely responsible for the Medibank attack as well as other significant security breaches around …

Medibank criminal hackers trying to 'incite' fear as customers realise extent of data dump
2 years, 4 months ago

Medibank criminal hackers trying to 'incite' fear as customers realise extent of data dump

ABC  

Cybercriminals continue to drip feed stolen Medibank customer data, in a move experts say appears to be designed to "incite fear". Key points: Cyber security experts said more support is needed for victims of the Medibank hack Affected customers have called for changes to data retention laws There are also calls for the payment of ransoms to be illegal In …

Russia responds after AFP Commissioner says Medibank hackers based in Russia
2 years, 4 months ago

Russia responds after AFP Commissioner says Medibank hackers based in Russia

ABC  

Russia's embassy in Australia has criticised a statement by Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw that those responsible for the Medibank hack are based in Russia, saying the announcement was made before the AFP contacted Russian law enforcement agencies. Key points: AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw says a group of cyber criminals based in Russia are believed to be responsible for …

Australian police blame Russian hackers for medical records leak
2 years, 4 months ago

Australian police blame Russian hackers for medical records leak

Al Jazeera  

Australian authorities have blamed Russia-based hackers for a cyberattack that exposed the personal information of private health insurance customers, including details of abortions and treatments for addiction and HIV. Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw said on Friday that a “group of loosely affiliated cybercriminals” linked to data breaches elsewhere was responsible for the cyberattack on Medicare. Kershaw said that …

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