NEWS DESK
SYDNEY: Hackers have demanded 9.7 million US dollars for stolen medical records of customers of Australia’s largest private health insurer, reportedly which also include Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
In a message posted on the dark web on Thursday morning, the hacker claimed it was demanding $1 from Medibank per each of the 9.7 million customers caught up in one of the worst data breaches of the country, according to ABC news.
The hackers on Thursday added a second batch of leaked files on the dark web including sensitive information of Medibank customers.
Medibank, which confirmed the data breach earlier this week, said in a tweet on Thursday that the hackers had uploaded another file of leaked data.
Reportedly, the criminal group posted on dark web “Added one more file abortions.csv.”
It said “Society ask us about ransom, it’s a 10 millions. We can make discount 9.7m 1$=1 customer.”
Earlier this week, the hackers had uploaded the first batch of leaked data, which targeted those who received treatment for drug abuse, mental illnesses and sexually transmitted diseases.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese while addressing the concerns of the Medibank data hack said that he was also a customer of Medibank.
The dark web forum used to post the hacked data was linked to the crime group REvil, reported local media.
Russian authorities had announced shutting down the group earlier this year at the request of the United States.
Medibank CEO David Koczkar on Thursday condemned the hacker’s actions as “disgraceful” while once again apologizing to customers.
“We remain committed to fully and transparently communicating with customers and we will be contacting customers whose data has been released on the dark web,” he said. The Australian Federal Police, which is investigating the cyberattack, has warned that downloading or even just accessing the data could be a criminal offence.
