A ransomware newcomer calling itself n0n has claimed more than 80 victims in the last month – and one of them appears to be the East Maitland-based Hunter Neurology.
The healthcare practice was initially listed under the name ‘Company 27’ earlier this week, but the hackers have now shared Hunter Neurology’s identity, as well as details of data allegedly stolen during the incident.
“Patient records of an Australian neurology practice: 15,252 patient images and scans, 11,819 patient letters and reports, 439 laboratory results and 839 patient records system files,” n0n said, claiming at the same time that since payment was not forthcoming, the data is now on a countdown to be published within two days.
In addition, n0n claims to have “Four complete weekly backups of the practice medical records system” alongside “Protected health information including patient names, dates of birth and clinical data”.
n0n has not shared any evidence of the hack. However, it has begun to publish data that appears to belong to several other victims.
Hunter Neurology has confirmed it is investigating the hackers’ claims.
“We are aware that an unauthorised external party has made a claim online in relation to our practice. Based on our investigations to date, we understand this claim relates to an incident affecting the environment of a third-party technology provider that hosts and supports our systems,” a spokesperson for Hunter Neurology told Cyber Daily.
“As soon as we became aware, we engaged specialist cyber security and forensic experts who are working urgently to verify these claims and to understand the nature and extent of any information that may have been affected.”
Hunter Neurology is operating as normal, and there has been no interruption to patient services, the spokesperson added.
“If our investigation identifies evidence that any individual’s personal information has been relevantly impacted, we will communicate with them directly and provide practical steps they can take to help protect their information,” Hunter Neurology said.
“These investigations are complex and can take time to complete with accuracy, but we will continue to provide regular updates as we have relevant information to share.”
Hunter Neurology said it had notified the ACSC and will continue to assess its regulatory obligations.
“In the event that personal information is relevantly impacted, this will include notifying the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC),” Hunter Neurology said.
“We understand the importance our patients and referring practitioners place on the security of their information, and we sincerely apologise for any concern this news may cause.”
Who is n0n?
n0n only emerged in late September, one of a rash of relatively new ransomware groups to appear in recent months, but in that time has listed 82 victims, with Hunter Neurology appearing to be its first Australian victim.
Most of n0n’s victims are in the US, but otherwise the group has targeted entities everywhere from China to Argentina.
The group lists victims under four categories – those waiting to be identified, those who have been exposed (such as Hunter Neurology), those who have had their data published, and, so far, two unnamed orgs that have apparently paid a ransom.
All that n0n says about itself relates to how its name should be spelled.
“Our name is n0n. Not N0N, N0n, nOn, n0N, NON, Non, non, or .non. It is two lowercase n letters with a zero between them: n0n,” the group says on its leak site.
“We expect all visitors and authors to read it and write it exactly as it is: n0n. Thank you.”
Who is Hunter Neurology?
Hunter Neurology operates three locations in New South Wales, in East Maitland, Shortland, and Port Macquarie.
The specialised neuro-diagnostic practice offers services such as EEG examinations, nerve conduction studies, and hearing and balance testing.
“At Hunter Neurology, we assess patients who have a wide range of disorders affecting the central and peripheral nervous systems. The clinical assessments and diagnostic tests which we perform are evidence-based procedures,” the clinic says on its website.
“We have also established some services which are not commonly provided by a private practice in Australia.”
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