“We will do everything in our power to inflict as much damage as possible to you,” hackers told Medibank last month. This is how the negotiations unfolded.
At 1.20pm on October 12, Medibank Private received a call from Australia’s top cyber spy agency. It came with a message no Australian business wants to hear.
The Australian Signals Directorate had noticed something strange going on in Medibank’s systems and reached out to the country’s largest health insurer.
Max MasonSenior courts and crime reporterMax Mason covers financial crime, courts and corporate wrongdoing. A Walkley Award winner, Max’s journalism has also received awards from the National Press Club of Australia, the Kennedy Awards and Citibank. Message Max on Signal https://tinyurl.com/MaxMason Connect with Max on Twitter. Email Max at max.mason@afr.com
John DavidsonColumnistJohn Davidson is an award-winning columnist, reviewer, and senior writer based in Sydney and in the Digital Life Laboratories, from where he writes about personal technology. Connect with John on Twitter. Email John at jdavidson@afr.com
Ayesha de KretserSenior reporterAyesha de Kretser is a senior reporter with The Australian Financial Review covering the aviation and tourism sectors. She has previously reported on banking, mining and commodity markets. Connect with Ayesha on Twitter. Email Ayesha at ayesha.dekretser@afr.com.au
