Hackers release confidential health records of 10 million Australians
The stolen confidential health records of millions of Australians have been made public on the dark web after a hacker threatened to release them for a large ransom.
The hackers, who claimed to have spent a month searching the systems of a huge insurance company called Medibank, posted various lists of health records, including those of all types, including those of people who sought treatment for things like addiction and eating disorders.
The hackers also posted emails they sent and received with the company while negotiating the ransom.
And the emails, if true, show that the hackers refused to name themselves except to say they belonged to an "affiliate group".
Gismando said the internet domain they used was operated by the Russian REvil ransomware gang, though it is not clear if the hackers were connected to them.
In one of the email exchanges posted by the hackers, a representative from the bank asks how they will make sure that the hackers will actually delete the data if they pay the ransom, and the response comes: We are doing business, even if it is not legal, and we are concerned about our reputation We are interested in getting the money , not destroying your company.
When the bank refused to offer the ransom, whose value was not announced, the hackers gave it 24 hours before publishing the data, which happened later.
The hackers released information that could be used to destroy the lives of ordinary people who may suffer from any combination of mental health and addiction issues.
To make matters more complicated, the company did not have electronic insurance, despite being an insurance company.
Which means the company is on track to lose tens of millions of dollars, according to some estimates.
The company has about 3.9 million current customers, but the hacked data also includes information about about 10 million victims because it also includes former customers.
The thieves first posted the threat in October when they threatened to release sensitive data, including detailed health information, that would include prominent figures in Australia, including politicians, actors and activists.
The threat was in broken English, leading many to assume that the hackers were not from an English-speaking country.
According to Australian ABC News, the data has not made its way to the open web yet, and the only way to access the information is to access the so-called dark web.
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