Last year, Medibank was the victim of one of the largest cyber crimes in the history of Australia. This is thanks to the efforts of a ransomware group. These hackers stole the personal info of about 9.7 million current and former Medibank customers. Their names, dates of birth, addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers were all snatched up in this attack.
Additionally, 500,000 customers had their intimate medical details exposed. These details included private medical diagnoses, procedures, and services.
In an open letter regarding this matter, Medibank said; “For almost fifty years, Australians have trusted us with their health and wellbeing. We’ve never taken that responsibility lightly. We’re sorry for the impact this cybercrime has had on the wellbeing of our customers, and we know it’s our job to fix it.
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The Medibank Litigation Is Coming
In response to the hack, three law firms — Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, Bannister Law Class Actions, and Centennial Lawyers — have teamed up to take Medibank to court. They are collectively seeking more than $5 billion in compensation for Medibank’s hack-affected customers.
As Bannister Law Class Actions’ Charles Bannister said, “We believe the data breach is a betrayal of Medibank Private’s customers and a breach of the Privacy Act. Medibank has a duty to keep this kind of information confidential.”
Additionally, Maurice Blackburn’s Head of Class Actions, Andrew Watson, said, “This data breach has caused millions of Australians significant distress. The co-operation agreement ensures that all three law firms are working together for the common aim of obtaining compensation for those affected as quickly as possible.”
Medibank is yet to release a statement in response to the legal proceedings.
However, a spokesperson for Medibank has said, “Medibank continues to support its customers from the impact of this crime through our previously announced Cyber Response Support Program, which includes mental health and wellbeing support, identity protection and financial hardship measures.”
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