Accellion, Inc. is an American-based technology company and developer of the file sharing service ‘Accellion FTA’, which was compromised in a sophisticated cyber-attack from mid-December through to January 2021.
NSW Health was one of more than 100 Accellion clients worldwide (in government, finance, legal, retail, education, telecommunications, healthcare and manufacturing) that sustained data breaches as a result.
You will be contacted by NSW Health directly.
NSW Health has been working with NSW Police and Cyber Security NSW over many months to identify patients and staff whose information may have been caught up in the cyber-attack on the software provider.
This has been a complex and time-consuming process to forensically search through NSW Health information.
To date, authorities have found no evidence any of the captured information has been misused however, specialist advice will be offered to those affected to help safeguard their personal details.
Different types of information, including identity information and in some cases, health-related personal information, were included in the attack.
However, there was no third-party access to electronic medical records systems used by public hospitals, and public hospital patient records and hospital operating systems remain secure.
No. NSW Health has removed and no longer uses the FTA system.
Regardless of whether you are affected by the data breach, Cyber Security NSW recommends that all NSW residents take steps to protect their personal information in the following ways:
Anyone who receives a call from someone asking for personal or health data, and doubts the communication is genuine, should contact the relevant government agency using publicly listed details. There are more resources available at IDCARE.org, including tips for keeping your identity safe when online.