Medibank says hacker accessed data of 9.7 million customers, refuses to pay ransom
Medibank Private Ltd (MPL.AX), Australia's biggest health insurer, on Monday said no ransom payment will be made to the criminal responsible for a recent data theft, wherein around 9.7 million current and former customers' data was compromised.
Highlighting findings of the firm's investigation to date, Medibank confirmed that name, date of birth, address, phone number, and email addresses for around 9.7 million current and former customers were accessed in the data theft. Cyber security issues in Australia have seen a sharp rise in recent times, with a government report suggesting there is one attack every seven minutes.
"Based on the extensive advice we have received from cybercrime experts we believe there is only a limited chance paying a ransom would ensure the return of our customers' data and prevent it from being published," Medibank CEO David Koczkar said.
