Medical Data of 1 Million New Zealanders Potentially Exposed in Health System Breach

Medical Data of 1 Million New Zealanders Potentially Exposed in Health System Breach

The health organization realized during an investigation of an August breach that its systems had been breached several times prior to the known attack.

  • By Haley Samsel
  • Oct 14, 2019

A data breach at a primary health organization, or PHO, in New Zealand may have led to the exposure of the medical data of about 1 million people. 

Tū Ora Compass Health, which had its systems and website hacked in August, is now revealing the potential ramifications of data breaches going back from 2016 to March 2019, TechRadar reported. 

The full scale of the PHO’s cybersecurity issues was revealed as part of its investigation of the August breach. A statement from Tū Ora said that the organization is not sure if patient data was compromised or even accessed by an outside group. 

“Despite careful investigation, we cannot say for certain whether or not the cyber attacks resulted in any individual patient information being accessed. It is likely we will never know," the statement said. 

While the PHO oversees an area with a population of 648,000 people, the number of patients with exposed data goes into the millions because Tū Ora maintains data going back to 2002. Some of that data included names, ages, ethnicities and addresses in addition to more personal medical information, including smoking status, immunizations and more. 

The New Zealand health ministry has been notified of the cyber attack, and all PHOS and health boards in the country were ordered to review their “external facing” cyber security by Oct. 8, according to The Dominion Post, a New Zealand news site. Tū Ora said it will move to a more “modern” and secure infrastructure with Microsoft Azure. 

“The new Tū Ora Microsoft Azure environment will be fully secured, with a defense in depth approach to protecting all our electronic assets,” the organization said. 

Jonathan Deveaux, the head of enterprise data protection at comforte AG, said that the case showed that the PHO did not appear to have encryption protections on the data itself and left it in clear text form. 

“It’s a good thing that no payment info, tax numbers, passport numbers, nor driver’s license numbers were on the server; otherwise, those data elements would have been exposed as well,” Deveaux said. “It seems there may be some technology and business leaders who are still accepting the risk that their data is of no interest to hackers, or their business model is unattractive for threat-actors to access. The PHO data breach, and many other breaches reported, proves that this is not the case.”

 

About the Author

Haley Samsel is an Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

  • Security Industry Association Announces the 2026 Security Megatrends

    The Security Industry Association (SIA) has identified and forecasted the 2026 Security Megatrends, which form the basis of SIA’s signature annual Security Megatrends report defining the top 10 factors influencing both near- and long-term change in the global security industry. Read Now

  • The Future of Access Control: Cloud-Based Solutions for Safer Workplaces

    Access controls have revolutionized the way we protect our people, assets and operations. Gone are the days of cumbersome keychains and the security liabilities they introduced, but it’s a mistake to think that their evolution has reached its peak. Read Now

  • A Look at AI

    Large language models (LLMs) have taken the world by storm. Within months of OpenAI launching its AI chatbot, ChatGPT, it amassed more than 100 million users, making it the fastest-growing consumer application in history. Read Now

  • First, Do No Harm: Responsibly Applying Artificial Intelligence

    It was 2022 when early LLMs (Large Language Models) brought the term “AI” into mainstream public consciousness and since then, we’ve seen security corporations and integrators attempt to develop their solutions and sales pitches around the biggest tech boom of the 21st century. However, not all “artificial intelligence” is equally suitable for security applications, and it’s essential for end users to remain vigilant in understanding how their solutions are utilizing AI. Read Now

  • Improve Incident Response With Intelligent Cloud Video Surveillance

    Video surveillance is a vital part of business security, helping institutions protect against everyday threats for increased employee, customer, and student safety. However, many outdated surveillance solutions lack the ability to offer immediate insights into critical incidents. This slows down investigations and limits how effectively teams can respond to situations, creating greater risks for the organization. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • AC Nio

    AC Nio

    Aiphone, a leading international manufacturer of intercom, access control, and emergency communication products, has introduced the AC Nio, its access control management software, an important addition to its new line of access control solutions.

  • PE80 Series

    PE80 Series by SARGENT / ED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin

    ASSA ABLOY, a global leader in access solutions, has announced the launch of two next generation exit devices from long-standing leaders in the premium exit device market: the PE80 Series by SARGENT and the PED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin. These new exit devices boast industry-first features that are specifically designed to provide enhanced safety, security and convenience, setting new standards for exit solutions. The SARGENT PE80 and Corbin Russwin PED4000/PED5000 Series exit devices are engineered to meet the ever-evolving needs of modern buildings. Featuring the high strength, security and durability that ASSA ABLOY is known for, the new exit devices deliver several innovative, industry-first features in addition to elegant design finishes for every opening.

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.