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MEDIA
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Hackers claim to have stolen patient records and more from a Gold Coast medical centre.
A ransomware group has listed Queensland-based medical centre Harbour Town Doctors as a victim on its dark net extortion site.
The Rhysida hacking group claimed the attack on a December 11 post to its leak site, alongside several low-resolution images of the data allegedly exposed in the incident.
While it is difficult to make out the details, it’s clear that – if the hackers’ claims are true – patient data has been compromised. Several files clearly show Harbour Town Doctors’ letterhead, while others are labelled Patient Health Summary.
Other images appear to show medical record transfer requests, while others seem to be pathology reports.
Rhysida originally listed a ransom deadline of seven days from the original post. The data is currently for sale to anyone for five Bitcoin – roughly $137,000.
“With just seven days on the clock, seize the opportunity to bid on exclusive, unique, and impressive data,” Rhysida said in its leak post.
“Open your wallets and be ready to buy exclusive data. We sell only to one hand, no reselling, you will be the only owner!”
Essentially, the owner of the data can pay for their data, or any other interested party can acquire it.
Harbour Town Doctors has not responded to Cyber Daily’s request for comment on the incident.
Who is Rhysida
Rhysida is a ransomware-as-a-service operation and has claimed 254 since it was first observed in the middle of 2023.
The group is purely financially motivated and has been observed communicating online in Russian.
Rhysida has a history of targeting the healthcare sector. In August 2023, the gang attacked healthcare organisation Prospect Medical Holdings, causing disruptions across 17 hospitals and 166 clinics in the United States. That attack saw 500,000 Social Security numbers, medical data, and passport details posted for sale on the gang’s leak site. In January 2025, the group claimed to have stolen more than three terabytes of data from the US-based Sunflower Medical Group, a hack that impacted over 400,000 patients.
The gang’s most recent Australian victim was the Sydney-based aged-care agency Daughterly Care, which was listed on Rhysida’s leak site in September 2024.
Who is the victim
Harbour Town Doctors is based in Bigger Waters, Queensland, and offers a range of patient services, including family medicine, a skin cancer clinic, and chronic disease management.
It has five doctors as well as administrative staff.
“We have been providing comprehensive medical care to patients, utilising a team of experienced doctors and allied healthcare professionals through a continuous envelope of personalised care,” the medical centre says on its website.
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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