Aussie Regulators Reveal Medibank Breach: VPN Needed More Security Features

TLDR:

• Australian regulators detailed a hack on Medibank, revealing a lack of MFA on their VPN.
• The breach led to data exfiltration affecting nearly 10 million individuals.

Australian Regulators Detail Medibank Hack: VPN Lacked MFA

Australian regulators uncovered that Medibank suffered a significant data breach due to the absence of multifactor authentication (MFA) on its VPN. The breach, which occurred in 2022, led to data exfiltration compromising the personal information of almost 10 million individuals. The hacker behind the incident exploited credentials stolen from an IT services desk contractor to gain unauthorized access to Medibank’s IT systems.

The breached data included sensitive information such as names, birthdates, Medicare numbers, and health claims data. The breach highlighted how a lack of MFA allowed the threat actor to access crucial systems undetected for an extended period.

The Australian information commissioner alleged that Medibank failed to protect the personal information of millions of individuals due to cybersecurity and information security framework deficiencies. The regulator is seeking significant financial penalties from Medibank for the breach.

The incident exemplifies the serious repercussions of overlooking fundamental security measures like MFA, especially in industries dealing with sensitive personal data. The healthcare sector, in particular, faces a significant risk when stringent cybersecurity practices, including MFA, are not implemented.