Case study 4: Police investigate large-scale healthcare data breach at MediSecure

Provide a brief description of the story.
MediSecure, an Australian healthcare company, providing electronic prescription services to health professionals, has fallen into being victim to ransomware resulting in a data breach. This incident was being investigated by the federal police and involved various government agencies, including the Australian Digital Health Agency, the National Security Coordinator, and the Australian Cyber Security Center.

What is/are the impact of this data breach? Consequences of the data breach.
• Description of services: their website and hotline went offline
• Potential impact on healthcare professionals who rely on the service for prescription
• Potential compromise of personal and medical information
• Potential legal consequences
• Potential loss of customers and their retention to continue using
• Potential loss of revenue
• Reputational damage to their brand and services
• Involvement of government agencies from states, and territories

How did the data breach occur?
The precise reason was not mentioned in the article. However, MediSecure stated, “Early indicators suggest the incident originated from one of our third-party vendors.” (Swan & McSweeney, 2024, p. 4). This means that the attacker probably exploited a vulnerability in a third-party vendor system to gain access to their network.

What should be the main cause of the data breach? Provide a brief explanation of the cause of the data breach, such as phishing, ransomware, HIPAA violation, database misconfiguration, human error, or third-party vendor error).
The main cause of the data breach is due to the third-party vendor error based on the information provided in the article. This could be probably several vulnerabilities such as compromised credentials of the vendor, inadequate security measures in the vendor, and exploitable flaws in the vendor’s system.

How could you prevent this data breach attack?
To prevent similar data breach incidents in the future, the following measures can be taken:
1. Regular software updates and patch management such as discontinuing legacy hardware and software, timely updates of software, system and security,
2. Awareness campaign and training: Employees are encouraged to participate in cybersecurity awareness and training because they are the main entry point of vulnerability.
3. Assigning the least required access: Not everyone requires all permissions in a system. Minimizing permissions to perform specific tasks is a good practice.
4. Following regulations and industry standards: Adhering to compliance requirements with regulations and industry standards reduces the risk of cyberattacks and data breaches as well as avoiding legal fines when the incident happens.
5. Improved infrastructure: Network segmentation (multiple LANs) with firewalls and limited routing tables can inhibit the spread of attacks.

References:
Swan, D., & McSweeney, J. (2024, May 16). Police investigate large-scale healthcare data breach at MediSecure. The Sydney Morning Herald.