Hackers Demand $10 Million for Medibank’s Stolen Australian Well being Data

Hackers on Thursday demanded US$10 million (roughly Rs. 82 crore) to cease leaking extremely delicate data stolen from a serious Australian healthcare firm, as they uploaded but extra intimate particulars about clients.

Medibank, Australia’s largest personal well being insurer, confirmed this week that hackers had accessed the data of 9.7 million present and former shoppers, together with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

The hackers on Thursday uploaded a second batch of information to a darkish net discussion board, with extra delicate particulars about lots of of Medibank clients.

The primary leaks seem to have been chosen to trigger most hurt: focusing on those that acquired therapy associated to drug abuse, sexually transmitted infections, or being pregnant terminations.

“Added another file abortions.csv,” the nameless hackers wrote on the discussion board, earlier than detailing their ransom risk.

“Society ask us about ransom, it is 10 million USD. We are able to make low cost…$1 = 1 buyer.”

Medibank has repeatedly refused to pay the ransom.

Revenue and greed

The Medibank hack — and an earlier information breach impacting 9 million clients at telecom firm Optus — has raised questions on Australia’s capacity to repel cyber criminals.

Dennis Desmond, a former FBI agent and US Protection Intelligence Company officer, stated Australia was no worse “than every other high-value goal or Western nation”.

“It’s totally unlucky, however I do not suppose Australia is any extra weak than every other Western developed nation,” he informed AFP.

Desmond stated profit-driven hackers have been unlikely to single out a selected nation — and have been usually extra excited about focusing on corporations holding invaluable information.

“It is the information varieties which are of essentially the most curiosity to those hackers,” he stated.

“The healthcare information is a large goal and personally identifiable information is high-value.”

“Typically, revenue and greed are the primary drivers.”

Scummy criminals

The Medibank hack is more likely to embrace information on among the nation’s most influential and rich people.

Medibank chief govt David Koczkar condemned the “disgraceful” extortion techniques.

“The weaponisation of individuals’s personal data in an effort to extort fee is malicious and it’s an assault on essentially the most weak members of our neighborhood.”

The group behind the assault seems to be pressuring Medibank by trying to find essentially the most doubtlessly damaging private data inside the data.

The primary data posted to the darkish net discussion board have been separated into “naughty” and “good” lists.

Some on the “naughty” record had numeric codes that appeared to hyperlink them to drug dependancy, alcohol abuse and HIV an infection.

For instance, one document carried an entry that learn: “p_diag: F122”.

F122 corresponds with “hashish dependence” below the Worldwide Classification of Illnesses, revealed by the World Well being Group.

Names, addresses, passport numbers, and beginning dates have been additionally included within the information.

Residence Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil has described the hackers as “scummy criminals”.

---