In recent news, Monash Health, a Victorian public health service, has been affected by the hacking of ZircoDATA, a company that provides secure document storage and information governance services to 9,000 clients across Australia. The breach led to the exposure of some historical documents belonging to Monash Health, including sensitive data related to domestic violence victims.
In February, ZircoDATA reported a breach in its system that resulted in the exposure of some historical documents belonging to Monash Health. The data involved archived information from the family violence and sexual assault support units at Monash Medical Centre, the Queen Victoria Hospital, and Southern Health, limited to the period from 1970 to 1993.
Monash Health’s chief executive, Eugine Yafele, stated that investigations are ongoing with the National Office of Cyber Security after being notified about the breach. Despite the breach, Yafele assured the public that Monash Health’s systems have not been compromised or impacted by the cyber attack. He expressed regret over the incident and stated that efforts are being made to investigate the breach in collaboration with ZircoDATA.
The ransomware gang Black Basta has claimed responsibility for the hacking of ZircoDATA and has reportedly accessed financial documents, personal information, and confidentiality deals totaling 395 gigabytes of data. The gang set a ransom deadline for the data breach. Lieutenant General Michelle McGuinness, National Cyber Security Coordinator, mentioned that ZircoDATA and other government entities are still working to identify impacted data and individuals affected by the breach.
In a separate incident before new year St Vincent’s Health confirmed they experienced a data breach by unknown hackers but no sensitive data were compromised in it. This highlights how healthcare organizations continue to face cybersecurity threats and must remain vigilant in protecting patient data and privacy.
It is important for healthcare organizations to prioritize cybersecurity measures such as regular security audits