🦹‍♂️ Top 3: Healthcare Data Breaches 2020 🔓

Cybersecurity in healthcare (and healthtech) has become more important than ever, but are healthcare organisations keeping pace to keep data safe?

Back in 2018 we covered Australian Healthcare Data Breaches, but since then the advent of technology use in healthcare has snowballed. Even with tools, services and technologies emerging to combat misadventures, breaches are ever present.

Here are 3 examples of healthcare breaches that occurred in 2020:

WA Department of Health

In July 2020 it was revealed that patient data from the WA Department of Health was leaked when the third-party paging service that distributed the communications was compromised.

The result meant details of patients with suspected COVID-19 were published on a rogue website.

Ambulance Tasmania

It took two months until early January 2021 for Ambulance Tasmania to realise that personal and private details of Tasmanian ambulance callers were being accessed and published.

Automatically updating every time an ambulance was called and paramedic dispatched, the data was showcased on a public list online, until experts noted old technology used by the service distributing unencrypted information was the cause.

Regis Healthcare

Because of the highly sensitive and valuable information they produce and store, the healthcare and aged care sectors are targeted relentlessly by cyber criminals, specifically using ransomware.

Back in August 2020, Regis Healthcare, an ASX-listed aged care provider had data copied and released publicly from its internal IT system, the cause being the popular Maze ransomware.

With thanks to Steven Dujin (Cyber Governance Risk and Compliance expert) of Cyber Risk Assurance for his input and research for this piece.

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