The Top Quality Service of the WhatsApp Hack

Australian insurer shuts down systems due to possible hacking

One of Australia's largest private health insurers has taken its systems offline following a possible cyberattack, just weeks after a major telecommunications company was embroiled in one of the country's worst data breaches.

Medibank Group announced Thursday that it has hired cybersecurity specialists and taken steps to protect its systems after noticing "unusual activity on its network."

The insurer, which has nearly four million clients in Australia, said it has yet to find any evidence that sensitive information was accessed in the incident.

"As part of our response to this incident, Medibank will isolate and remove access to some customer-facing methods to reduce the likelihood of method breaches or information leaks," the company said in a statement.

Medibank CEO David Koczkar apologized, saying the agency was working "around the clock" to learn the nature of the incident and how it might affect potential customers.

"Our top priority is to resolve this matter as transparently and as quickly as possible," Koczkar said.

“We will continue to take critical steps to protect Medibank Group customers and our individuals. We recognize the important responsibility we have to the people who trust us to care for their health and well-being and whose data we hold."

The incident comes less than a month after Optus, Australia's second-largest telecommunications operator, announced it was the target of a cyberattack potentially compromising the private knowledge of up to 10 million subscribers.

Optus, owned by Singapore-based Singtel, could face tens of millions of dollars in fines from Australian regulators for the data breach, including customer names, start dates, mobile phone numbers and passport numbers.