Cyberattack on St Vincent’s Health
St Vincent’s Health, the largest not-for-profit health and aged care provider in Australia, has fallen victim to a cyberattack. The attack was discovered on Tuesday and an investigation is ongoing to determine what data has been stolen. It is unclear at this time whether patients’ data is affected. St Vincent’s operates hospitals across NSW, Victoria, and Queensland, and employs close to 30,000 staff nationally. The company is working to secure its systems and identify what data may have been accessed and stolen.
Key Points:
- St Vincent’s Health in Australia has experienced a cyberattack.
- An investigation is ongoing to determine what data has been stolen.
- It is unclear if patients’ data is affected.
- St Vincent’s operates hospitals across NSW, Victoria, and Queensland.
- The company is working to secure its systems and understand what the cyber criminals have done.
St Vincent’s Health, the largest not-for-profit health and aged care provider in Australia, has fallen victim to a cyberattack. The attack was discovered on Tuesday and an investigation is ongoing to determine what data has been stolen. It is unclear at this time whether patients’ data is affected. St Vincent’s operates hospitals across NSW, Victoria, and Queensland, and employs close to 30,000 staff nationally. The company is working to secure its systems and identify what data may have been accessed and stolen.
St Vincent’s Health Australia has confirmed that it sustained a cyberattack and that cyber criminals have stolen data from its network. The company discovered the attack on Tuesday and immediately took steps to contain it. They engaged external security experts and notified relevant state and federal governments and agencies. On Thursday, they found evidence that cyber criminals had removed some data from their network. St Vincent’s is now working to determine what data has been removed.
St Vincent’s operates hospitals across NSW, Victoria, and Queensland, including both public and private hospitals, as well as aged care facilities. Their priority is the health and safety of their patients, residents, and employees, and they have stated that the incident has not affected their ability to deliver services across these networks. They are thankful for the support of the Australian government and state government partners since notifying them of the incident.
This cyberattack is the latest in a string of data breaches to hit major Australian companies. Other companies such as Optus and Medibank have also suffered cyber incidents, and DP World Australia shut down its terminals last month after a major cybersecurity attack. In response to these attacks, the federal government plans to beef up the nation’s cyber defenses, including health checks for small businesses, increased cyber law enforcement funding, and mandatory reporting of ransomware attacks.
Reports of cybercrime in Australia have climbed by 23% in the last financial year, according to the Australian Cyber Security Centre. The Australian government recognizes the need to take action to address cyber threats and protect critical infrastructure and citizen data. St Vincent’s Health is working diligently to investigate and address this cyberattack and ensure the security of their systems moving forward.