Data has been stolen from one of Australia's largest not-for-profit healthcare and aged care providers , St Vincent Health .
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St Vincent Health, which runs hospitals and aged care facilities in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, has uncovered evidence that “some data” was removed from its system last Thursday. However, the organisation said it was unable to say what type of information was stolen or whether it included personal private data.
The chief executive, Chris Blake, said St Vincent was notified of the breach on Tuesday.
“Our response was immediate once the cybercriminals were identified on our network,” said Mr. Blake.
“We immediately began containment activities, so that the work that has been done day and night in recent days is mainly focused on containment, without any impact on our operational facilities.“
Mr. Blake reported that external security experts were called in.
“Of course, we regularly prepare for these incidents, and we already had partners who were able to react very quickly..”
St Vincent Health said the cyberattack did not impact its ability to provide services at its public and private hospitals, 20 aged care centres or through virtual home care.
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The National Cyber Security Office and the executive National Cyber Security Coordinator, Hamish Hansford, said they were working with St Vincent's Hospital.
Mr Hansford said the Australian government had taken an active role from the moment it was notified of the St Vincent Health breach. He said it appeared the amount of data stolen was small, unlike previous data breaches at Medibank and Optus.
Services Australia, the Department of Health and Aged Care and relevant state and provincial agencies were also working on a coordinated response to the spill and to address any impacts.
A Victorian government spokesman said they were working closely with St Vincent's Health Australia and investigations were ongoing to determine who was behind the breach.
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Healthcare cybersecurity is crucial, as hospitals and other medical facilities store large amounts of sensitive personal and medical data. This data can include information about patients’ health, financial status, and identities, which are highly attractive to criminals.
Furthermore, cybersecurity is critical to ensuring the continued operation of medical facilities. A cyberattack can cause service interruptions, loss of valuable time, and disruption to the delivery of medical care, which can have serious consequences for patient health.
Finally, cybersecurity in the healthcare sector is important for protecting public trust. Patients need to be assured that their personal data is secure and that hospitals and other medical facilities are taking all necessary measures to protect them from cyberattacks.
Source: abc.net
