Australia's IVF giant Genea revealed a cybersecurity incident that disrupts patient services and potentially leads to access to confidential information.
Genea, one of Australia's three largest IVF providers with 21 clinics nationwide, confirmed the incident in a statement on its website on Wednesday.
Australia's national broadcaster ABC reports that GeneA has disclosed the incident after an ABC reporter contacted the company about the cyberattack. After contacting Genea, the Fertility giant worked with Porter Novelli, a public relations company specializing in helping companies respond to cyberattacks and data breaches.
When TechCrunch contacted, Porter Novelli provided a statement from Genea CEO Tim Yeoh to confirm that the company is “urgently investigating” cybersecurity cases.
“As soon as we detected an incident, we took immediate steps to contain the incident and ensure the system,” Yeoh said. “We strive to ensure that treatment is minimized to our patients.”
GeneA, in its official statement, confirmed the hackers behind the “Accessed Genea” data of the cyberattack, but the spokesman stated what kind of data was accessed when asked by TechCrunch. He refused to say.
Genea told customers that it was stopped on phone lines on February 13 before confirming the cyber attack, according to a post on GeneA's Instagram page.
The company's Mygenea app, which allows patients to track cycles and view fertility data, was also taken offline as a result of the incident, according to ABC.
Genea says it collects highly sensitive health information for its patients on its website. Medical, nursing, and scientific information. Procedures and tests taken at Genea or elsewhere. It remains to be seen whether patients will access sensitive medical data or whether they have been collected.
“Our investigations are ongoing and will be affected if our investigation is consistent with our legal and regulatory obligations and identify evidence that their personal information has been affected. We communicate with individuals,” Yeoh told TechCrunch.
Updated with a comment from Genea CEO Tim Yeoh.