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Macquarie Health Corporation hit by cyberattack as hackers claim 6700 people affected

Anton NilssonNCA NewsWire
The hackers bragged about the cyberattack online.
Camera IconThe hackers bragged about the cyberattack online. Credit: Supplied

Hackers have bragged about leaking highly sensitive documents containing patients’ private information that were stolen from a Sydney-based healthcare firm.

Macquarie Health Corporation confirmed on Monday many of its systems remained offline after the private company was hit by cybercriminals.

NCA NewsWire has been told medical and legal documents containing highly personal information were posted to the dark web after the hack.

It’s understood one such multi-page document details the medical history, name and birth date of a NSW woman.

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Macquarie Health Corporation, which operates 12 private hospitals in Sydney and Melbourne, first revealed the hack had occurred on Thursday and published an update on Monday.

Macquarie Health Corporation runs a dozen private hospitals, including Manly Waters Private Hospital in Sydney. Picture by Google Maps.
Camera IconMacquarie Health Corporation runs a dozen private hospitals, including Manly Waters Private Hospital in Sydney. Picture by Google Maps. Credit: Supplied

“Macquarie Health Corporation (MHC) is still experiencing significant impacts related to the cyber incident,” the update read.

“Thank you to our staff for their hard work continuing to deliver patient-centred care with many of our systems remaining offline.

“We apologise for any inconvenience this disruption may cause and thank our staff, patients and clinicians for their patience during this situation.”

The hackers claimed in a post on a dark website that they’d stolen personal data belonging to more than 6700 people.

“Medical data of patients … financial documents, bank balances, tax deductions,” began a long list of documents the hackers claimed to have gained access to.

The criminals also claimed to have gained access to “more than 1000” passwords, including for services such as PayPal, Amazon and Facebook.

The hackers claimed to have accessed more than 119,000 files totalling 225 gigabytes.

NSW Police was not aware of the incident, a spokeswoman said.

Originally published as Macquarie Health Corporation hit by cyberattack as hackers claim 6700 people affected

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