Health Insurance provider Medibank has confirmed that the records provided by the hacker involved in a cyber attack matched the records on the company’s systems.
The hacker claims to have stolen an enormous 200 GB of data and has asked the company to pay ransom, failing which their sensitive data will be leaked.
Last week, when the news of the attack were confirmed by the company, it said its sensitive data hadn’t been accessed, but that has since changed.
Federal minister for cyber security Clare O’Neil confirmed on Thursday sample data provided was Medibank customer information.
Speaking a press conference, the minister said: “The threat being made here, to make the private and personal health information of Australians available to the public, is a dog act.”
According to Medibank, the customer information that may have been accessed is customer names, addresses, data of birth, Meidcare numbers, insurance policy numbers, phone numbers, and some claims data.
Medibank said the hacker claims to have stolen other sensitive information including data related to credit card security, but added that it is not verified yet.
In a website statement, Medibank asked customers to stay alert and seek advice from trusted sources, including the Australian Cyber Security Centre at cyber.gov.au.
The company confirmed it will never contact customers asking for passwords or other sensitive information, so make sure you do not provide the same to anyone.
You can make your accounts more secure by changing your passwords and activating 2 factor authentication.
Never share your personal or financial information with anyone whatsoever unless you know the identity of the sender fully and are sure the request has originated from a legitimate source.
Do NOT click any links or attachments from unknown sources.
Keep a close eye on your banking transactions and credit score for any unusual or
Monitor your banking transactions and credit score closely for any unusual or incorrect debts.
If you think you have been a victim of identity theft, here are five things you can do:
- Immediately report the matter to your local police
- Inform your bank or financial institution about the situation
- Contact IDCARE to keep the damage to the minimum.
- Report the matter to the ACCC‘s Scamwatch.
- Consider whether you need a Victim’s Certificate.