Australian police blame Russia-based hackers for attack on Medibank
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Medibank has said that data from around 9.7 million current and former customers was compromised,.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SYDNEY - Russia-based hackers were behind the cyberattack on insurer Medibank Private Ltd,
Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Reece Kershaw blamed a loosely-affiliated group of cyber criminals likely responsible for other big breaches around the world for the attack on Medibank.
Mr Kershaw said the AFP knows which individuals are responsible but will not be naming them at this moment.
“To the criminals, we know who you are and moreover, the AFP has some significant runs on the scoreboard when it comes to bringing overseas offenders back to Australia to face the justice system,” he said at a short news conference on Friday.
Mr Kershaw said the AFP will be holding talks with Russian law enforcement about the individuals.
Russia’s embassy did not immediately respond to questions asking whether it had been in communication with the Australian government over the hack.
Meanwhile, more personal details of customers of Medibank were released on Friday, with the company expecting this to happen daily after it declined to pay ransom to the hacker.
Health records related to mental health and alcohol use of hundreds of customers have been released in the dark web in the latest data dump after the attacker uploaded two data sets, local media reported.
“Unfortunately, we expect the criminal to continue to release stolen customer data each day,” Medibank Chief Executive David Koczkar said in the latest update about the breach.
Data from around 9.7 million current and former customers was compromised, Medibank has said, as Australia grapples with a recent rise in cyber attacks. At least eight companies, including Singtel-owned telecoms company Optus,
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday the government was taking all steps to limit the impact and has set up an integrated phone service for affected customers for seeking help from both the government and Medibank.
“We know it’s already incredibly distressing. The fact that information was published going to very personal health details of Australian citizens is disgusting, and something that is I think, just totally reprehensible,” Mr Albanese told ABC Radio.
Medibank shares have plunged about 20 per cent since the hack was revealed by the company on Oct 13. Shares were up nearly 2 per cent in late morning trade on Friday. REUTERS
