Hacker demands $10m to stop leaking Australians’ medical records

Cyber-extortionist posts medical data purporting to indicate particulars of abortions and coverings for dependancy, HIV.

A cyber-extortionist has demanded virtually $10 million to cease leaking the medical information of Australians caught up in one of many nation’s worst cyberattacks.

In a message posted on the darkish internet early on Thursday morning, the hacker stated it was demanding $1 from Medibank, Australia’s largest non-public well being insurer, for every of the 9.7 million prospects affected in an infinite knowledge breach final month.

The cybercriminal or felony organisation additionally posted data purporting to hyperlink purchasers to their abortions, after earlier this week releasing a “naughty record” showing to indicate prospects who acquired remedies for dependancy, psychological well being points and HIV.

Native media have linked the darkish internet discussion board used to publish the hacked knowledge to the crime group REvil, which Russian authorities stated they shut down earlier this 12 months on the request of america.

Medibank CEO David Koczkar on Thursday condemned the hacker’s actions as “disgraceful” whereas reiterating an apology to prospects.

“We stay dedicated to completely and transparently speaking with prospects and we can be contacting prospects whose knowledge has been launched on the darkish internet,” Koczkar stated.

“The weaponisation of individuals’s non-public data in an effort to extort fee is malicious, and it’s an assault on probably the most susceptible members of our group.”

Medibank has refused to pay the ransom, citing recommendation from cybercrime consultants that doing so wouldn’t make sure the return of shoppers’ data and will put “extra folks in hurt’s manner by making Australia an even bigger goal”.

The Australian Federal Police, which is investigating the cyberattack, has warned that downloading and even simply accessing the info could possibly be a felony offence.

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

“I can not articulate the disgust I’ve for the scumbags who’re on the coronary heart of this felony act,” O’Neil informed parliament on Wednesday.

The cyberattack, which first got here to mild final month, is the newest in a sequence of enormous knowledge breaches to rock Australia.

Optus, Australia’s second-largest telecom supplier, introduced in September the info of as much as 10 million prospects had been compromised in a cyberattack in opposition to the corporate.