Following the NSW Government’s advice earlier this year around a world-wide cyber-attack that included NSW Government agencies, NSW Health is notifying people whose data may have been accessed in the global Accellion cyber-attack.

Strike Force Martine, set up by NSW Police and Cyber Security NSW, has been investigating the impact on NSW Government agencies that were caught up in the December/January cyber-attack on the US-based software provider.

It is estimated that some 100 organisations around the world, including global corporations, financial institutions, government departments, hospitals and universities were among those affected by the breach.

Medical records in public hospitals were not affected and the software involved is no longer in use by NSW Health.

Different types of information, including identity information and in some cases, health-related personal information, were included in the attack.

NSW Health has been working with NSW Police and Cyber Security NSW and to date, there is no evidence any of the information has been misused.

A Cyber Incident Help Line has been set up to provide further information and support to those people NSW Health is contacting. If you are contacted by NSW Health, you will be given the Cyber Incident Help Line details; if you are not contacted by NSW Health, no action is required.

A NSW Health spokesperson said, “The privacy of individuals is of the utmost importance to NSW Health, and we are making impacted people aware of the attack so that they can take appropriate precautions and access our support services.”