CASE STUDY: THE MEDIBANK PRIVATE DATA BREACH

In October $2022,$ Medibank Private, Australia's largest private health insurer,

suffered a significant data breach when hackers gained unauthorized access to

their systems. The attackers stole the personal and health information of millions

of customers, including names, addresses, dates of birth, medical diagnoses, and

in some cases, credit card details. The hackers demanded a ransom payment,

threatening to release the stolen data if their demands were not met.

YOUR TASK

You are a cybersecurity consultant specializing in data protection and privacy.

Medibank Private has hired you to assess the situation and recommend

improvements to their data security practices. Your task is to analyse the incident

and develop a comprehensive report that addresses the following questions:

$1.$ Evaluate the effectiveness of Medibank Private's existing cryptography

and encryption techniques in protecting customer data. Could stronger

encryption methods or better key management practices have prevented

or mitigated the data breach?

$2.$ Discuss the role of a Public Key Infrastructure $($PKI$)$ in securing sensitive

data. How could Medibank Private have leveraged PKI to enhance the

security of customer information and prevent unauthorized access?

$3.$ Analyse the Medibank Private data breach in the context of relevant data

privacy regulations, such as the GDPR $($General Data Protection

Regulation$)$ and the Australian Privacy Act. Did Medibank Private comply

with these regulations, and if not, what were the potential consequences

of non$-$compliance?

$4.$ Recommend specific data protection controls and compliance measures

that Medibank Private should implement to prevent future data breaches

and ensure the privacy and security of customer information. Consider

both technical controls $($e$.$g$.,$ encryption, access controls$)$ and

organizational measures $($e$.$g$.,$ policies, procedures, training$).$

WORKSHOP INSTRUCTIONS

$1.$ Thoroughly research the Medibank Private data breach, gathering

information from credible sources such as news articles, official reports,

and cybersecurity analyses.

$2.$ Review the relevant sections of Module $6,$ focusing on cryptography,

encryption techniques, key management, PKI, data privacy regulations

$($GDPR$,$ Privacy Act$),$ and data protection controls.

$3.$ Analyse the Medibank Private incident through the lens of data protection

and privacy, identifying the key weaknesses and areas for improvement.

$7019$ICT Cyber Security Risk Management

$16$

$4.$ Develop a comprehensive report that addresses the questions outlined

above, providing clear explanations, supporting evidence, and actionable

recommendations.

WORKSHOP WRITE$-$UP STRUCTURE

Use the following structure for your report:

Introduction

$$ Briefly summarize the Medibank Private data breach and its impact.

Cryptography and Encryption Techniques

$$ Evaluate the effectiveness of Medibank Private's existing practices.

$$ Recommend stronger encryption methods or key management practices.

Public Key Infrastructure $($PKI$)$

$$ Discuss the role of PKI in securing sensitive data.

$$ Explain how Medibank Private could leverage PKI to enhance security.

Data Privacy Regulations $($GDPR$,$ Privacy Act$)$

$$ Analyse the breach in the context of relevant data privacy regulations.

$$ Assess Medibank Private's compliance and discuss potential

consequences of non$-$compliance.

Data Protection Controls and Compliance

$$ Recommend specific technical and organizational controls for Medibank

Private.

$$ Explain how these controls would improve data protection and ensure

compliance.

Conclusion

$$ Summarize your findings and emphasize the importance of robust data

protection and privacy measures in the healthcare industry.

Your report should be approximately $600$ words in length and be written in the

workshop template provided on the course website. Support your analysis with

evidence from the case study and your research.