Search

Placeholder Content Image

“So tone deaf”: Karl loses it over Medibank bosses' massive bonuses

<p dir="ltr">Karl Stefanovic has slammed the top bosses at Medibank after it has been revealed they will be taking home millions in bonuses amid the company’s cyber attack crisis.</p> <p dir="ltr">While ten million of Medibank’s customers are learning whether their personal data has made it onto the dark web - and fork out cash to keep themselves safe - bosses will still be collecting a total of $7.3 million in bonuses.</p> <p dir="ltr">Joel Andrews, one customer whose data has been stolen, told <em>Today </em>that “it’s disgusting” that bosses aren’t willing to give up their bonuses despite affected customers facing financial losses.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m furious,” Andrews said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“To think that it’s taken them a month to get this information out to us and say what’s been released, I understand it takes time to find these things out but it’s taken them that long. </p> <p dir="ltr">“They promised early on that they would act quickly because it’s such a time-sensitive issue, and it feels like they have just left it up to them, on their timing.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“I mean you’ve got the Medicare boss getting $1.5 million in bonuses last financial year,” co-host Ally Langdon said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He also receives 150 percent of his fixed salary in shares … it’s pretty tone deaf, isn’t it?”</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s disgusting,” Andrews replied.</p> <p dir="ltr">"To think that all of the customers out there, ten million customers, if each of them have to pay for their own software to do data protection, losses to them are around $100 each,.</p> <p dir="ltr">"That's a significant loss to each person and they are not willing to give up their bonuses."</p> <p dir="ltr">Stefanovic, who found out he was also a victim of the attack just two days ago, said he had “no sympathy” for the company as it faces declining share prices and hefty costs as a result of the attack and agreed the bonuses were “disgusting”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s a failure across the board and they’re giving themselves bonuses,” the <em>Today Show</em> host said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s unbelievable.</p> <p dir="ltr">"This is so tone deaf, it is one of the most tone deaf things I have seen a corporation do in Australia for a long, long time.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The health insurance company has come under fire for how it handled the cyber attack, with customers’ data being leaked onto the dark web after it refused to pay a ransom and affected customers finding out if they’ve been targeted more than a month later.</p> <p dir="ltr">As the Australian Federal Police continue their investigation into the attack, they have promised to take swift action against anyone who accesses the private data shared on the dark web.</p> <p dir="ltr">Affected customers who aren’t happy with Medicare’s actions or its handling of the situation have also begun proceedings to file a lawsuit against the company.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-bf090b99-7fff-1249-0ed1-ac63862a591b"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: The Today Show</em></p>

Money & Banking

Placeholder Content Image

"Deplorable": Medibank hacker announces ransom demands

<p>As more sensitive health data has been posted on the dark web, the Medibank hacker has shared their ransom demands for the information to be returned safely. </p> <p>Along with the unlawful release of the information, the hacker stated, "Society ask us about ransom, it's a 10 millions (sic) usd. We can make discount 9.7m 1$=1 customer."</p> <p>At current rates, US$9.7 million is worth $15.07 million.</p> <p>The alleged hacker, also posted: "Medibanks (sic) CEO stated, that ransom amount is 'irrelevant'. We want to inform the customers, that He refuses to pay for yours data more, like 1 USD per person. So, probably customers data and extra efforts don't cost that."</p> <p>Following the release of 200 users' personal health data yesterday, the hacker has today posted an additional file of information allegedly obtained in the hack.</p> <p>While the file is titled "abortions", it is understood that the diagnostic code listed in the file against the names of over 300 Australian men and women actually refers to an admission for "Supervision of high risk pregnancy, unspecified, first trimester", according to <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/medibank-hack-update-more-health-data-ransom-demand-posted/32e7d105-1b5f-4291-bbb4-32620cbe3456" target="_blank" rel="noopener">9News</a>. </p> <p>Medibank CEO David Koczkar has called the latest health data release as "deplorable", while assuring customers they are working to secure their information. </p> <p>He said, "The release of this stolen data on the dark web is disgraceful."</p> <p>"We take the responsibility to secure our customer data seriously and we again unreservedly apologise to our customers.</p> <p>"We remain committed to fully and transparently communicating with customers and we will be contacting customers whose data has been released on the dark web.</p> <p>"The weaponisation of people's private information in an effort to extort payment is malicious, and it is an attack on the most vulnerable members of our community.</p> <p>"These are real people behind this data and the misuse of their data is deplorable and may discourage them from seeking medical care."</p> <p>With so much information already leaked, there is a high risk of scams and individual ransom demands to come for the 500 or so Australians whose personal data has already been published.</p> <p>Those customers should be on high alert for scammers.</p> <p>Medibank has yet to reach out to the 500,000 customers whose health data is in jeopardy, to advise them whether more information has been lost to the scammers. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p>

Legal

Our Partners

Over 60

© Copyright 2024 OverSixty.All Rights Reserved.