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Medibank, Australia’s largest health insurer, announced that a cybercriminal had hacked the personal information of nearly 4 million of its customers, as the government proposed legislation to penalise companies that fail to protect their client’s personal information.
Medibank also confirmed that it was uninsured against cyber attacks, estimating that the breach could cost the company up to Au$35 million (US 22 million).
“Medibank has been contacted by a criminal claiming to have stolen 200GB of data. The criminal has provided a sample of records for 100 policies which we believe has come from our AHM [brand] and international student systems,” the company declared on Thursday.
This was the latest in a string of hacks aimed at millions of people, highlighting Australia’s lax approach to cyber security.
According to Medibank CEO David Koczkar, the company’s 3.9 million policyholders – roughly 15% of Australia’s population – had their personal information compromised.
“Our investigation has now established that this criminal has accessed all our private health insurance customers’ data and significant amounts of their health claims data,” Koczkar said in a statement to the Australian stock exchange.
“This is a terrible crime. This is a crime designed to cause maximum harm to the most vulnerable members of our community.”
Previously, the hackers threatened to leak the data, beginning with 1,000 famous Australians, unless Medibank paid a ransom.
The Medibank hack came on the heels of last month’s attack on telecom company Optus, which exposed the personal information of approximately nine million Australians – nearly one-third of the population.
According to Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil, the fallout from the Medibank hack is “potentially irreparable.”
Ms O’Neil had spoken with Medibank CEO David Koczkar and said that “the facts are continuing to be established.”
“This incident reminds Australian governments, businesses and citizens to be vigilant about cyber safety.”
This recent hack incident is another wake-up call for companies to prioritise cyber security.
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