Exclusive: Deakin Medical Centre hit by alleged Global ransomware attack
Patient scan results, psychiatric assessments, and healthcare plans part of dataset published to the darknet.
The Global ransomware group has continued its series of attacks on Australian healthcare providers, with the Mildura-based Deakin Medical Centre recently listed on its darknet leak site.
The medical centre was listed in a leak post dated June 10, and the hackers have already published what appears to be a considerable amount of internal and patient data.
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Global has not shared the volume of data published, but initial investigations suggest sensitive patient data is included.
Files observed by Cyber Daily include a list of hundreds of patients, their healthcare plans, and their doctors, while another contains the cervical screening results of hundreds of women. Other documents include a patient’s psychiatric assessment, discharge documents, and vaccination information.
The Deakin Medical Centre has not yet responded to Cyber Daily’s request for comment.
The medical centre joins two other Victorian healthcare providers targeted by the Global ransomware gang. The Ascot Vale Health Group was listed on Global’s leak site on June 7, and Epworth Healthcare was listed on June 2. Both those providers have also had their data published by the hackers.
Since its first leak post on June 2, Global has continued to rack up victims, with 15 now listed. Little is known about the group, though it clearly plans to become a ransomware-as-a-service operation in the near future.
The leak site features a slick marketing video for its locker platform that promises potential affiliates 24/7 support, weekly updates, and “the fastest, most customisable locker on the market”.
According to the video, when Global does switch to RaaS operations, it will only take a 15 per cent cut of ransomware payments. However, for now, the group says it is not a RaaS provider yet. It appears to be listing victims and publishing data as a display of the effectiveness of its locker.
The Deakin Medical Centre is based in the regional city of Mildura in Victoria’s north west. The centre employs eight doctors and 12 additional staff, and provides health assessments, GP management plans, women’s & men’s health, and telehealth consultations.
David Hollingworth
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
