Ransomware attack disrupts the operation of MediSecure

A ransomware attack has forced MediSecure to shut down its website and phone lines to prevent further compromise. Based on reports, this incident has impacted individuals’ personal and health information, but the company has yet to uncover the exact number of affected people.

This Australian electronic prescription service company announced earlier this week that it was indirectly impacted by a cybersecurity issue involving one of its service suppliers, which resulted in a data breach. The firm stated that it had uncovered a cyber security incident involving individuals’ personal and health information. Moreover, the company announced that it had already taken immediate steps to mitigate any potential impact on its systems.

An investigation has begun, and the initial discoveries suggest that the incident originated from one of its third-party vendors, which is why they became an indirect subject of the cyberattack.

 

MediSecure has already notified the authorities and other relevant agencies about the hack.

 

MediSecure has already alerted Australian regulators and other relevant agencies, such as the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, about the ransomware attack. Additionally, the company has reached out to the National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC) to help mitigate the incident’s impact.

The Australian NCSC explained that they became aware of the attack after the commercial health information organisation had reported being the victim of a massive ransomware data breach.

The NCSC also emphasised that the commercial health information organisation informed their agency earlier this week about the large-scale ransomware data compromise, prompting them to work with the Australian government, states, and territories to respond to the incident.

However, this Australian agency emphasised that MediSecure’s inquiry is in the early stages, so it could not yet reveal any relevant information about the cybersecurity incident’s impact on Australians.

One of the most significant healthcare-related data breach incidents in Australia’s recent history happened on Medibank. The attack, conducted by the REvil ransomware gang a couple of years ago, affected the information of almost 9.7 million Medibank customers, including personally identifiable information, contact information, and healthcare data.

These attacks against the healthcare industry are becoming a formidable threat to healthcare and cybersecurity providers. Therefore, organisations should focus more on increasing their cybersecurity defences to prevent such attacks from causing disruptions that could result in unwanted damages.