An Australian private healthcare organization has been hit by a large-scale ransomware attack.
National Cyber Security Coordinator Michelle McGuinness said in a statement that she had been informed of the incident against MediSecure, a private health information provider, on Wednesday afternoon.
“We are in the preliminary stages of our response and there are limited details to share at this stage, but I will continue to provide updates as we progress as we work closely with the affected business organization to address the impacts caused by the incident.” said Mrs. McGuinness.
Private healthcare organization MediSecure has been hacked in a large-scale ransomware attack which is being investigated (file image pictured)
The Australian Signals Directorate Cyber Security Center and the Australian Federal Police are investigating the situation, which is believed to be in its early stages.
Sky News reported that the breach affected “a medium-sized healthcare provider.”
“Now we’re not talking about the public health system or public hospitals, but rather a provider within the health system,” presenter Kieran Gilbert said.
Home Secretary Clare O’Neil has summoned senior intelligence and security officials in response to the crisis incident.
“I have been informed about this incident in recent days and the government today convened a National Coordination Mechanism on this matter,” he wrote in X.
It is understood the data breach affected a medium-sized healthcare provider (file image)
National Cyber Security Coordinator Michelle McGuinness (pictured) said limited details are available at this stage about the scale of the ransomware attack, as security agencies respond to the data breach.
In 2022, the private data of millions of Australians, including sensitive medical information, was breached when Medibank’s network was hacked.
Earlier this year, Australia imposed sanctions on Russian national Aleksandr Ermakov for his alleged role in that data breach.
MediSecure is an e-prescription provider operating since 2009.
The company’s software allows patients to obtain prescriptions from their doctor digitally, increasing the chances that their personal medication information will be leaked online.
On Thursday MediSecure posted a statement on its website:
‘While we continue to gather more information, early indicators suggest that the incident originated from one of our third-party vendors.
“MediSecure takes its legal and ethical obligations seriously and understands that this information will be cause for concern.”
‘MediSecure understands the importance of transparency and will provide further updates as soon as more information is available. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this time.”
More to come.