Mediclinic's employees' data compromised. Investigations underway
Prominent hospital group Mediclinic is investigating a cyberattack that exposed the personal information of its employees.
The information reportedly includes employees' salaries, disciplinary hearings, and others.
Mediclinic currently operates 50 hospitals, 15 day clinics, five sub-acute and six mental health facilities throughout South Africa, as well as three private hospitals in Namibia, with more than 8 945 beds.
Mediclinic Investigates
The private hospital group confirmed to The Citizen that its third-party IT service provider experienced a cybersecurity incident.
'Upon learning of this incident, Mediclinic engaged the third-party IT service provider, who reported that it immediately took steps to ensure the containment of the incident, including immediately isolating the affected system, resetting access credentials, and working with external specialists in an incident response investigation.'
After following certain procedures, it was determined that the data impacted is limited to employment-related data. The hospital has taken appropriate steps to contact those whose data they believe may have been impacted by the incident, in accordance with data protection guidelines.
ALSO READ: Cybersecurity breach costs Astral R20 million in profit
No patient data stolen at Mediclinic
Mediclinic stated that it is confident no patient data has been compromised, and it did not experience any disruption to its business operations.
'Since the incident, we have and continue to implement further measures to enhance security safeguards in relation to our third-party vendors.
'Mediclinic reported the incident to the appropriate regulators in each of our operating markets, and we continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities as needed.'
Other cyberattacks
MyBroadband reported that the group responsible for the cyberattack is Everest Group.
The group has launched cyberattacks in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and North America.
It reportedly launched a cyberattack against Coca-Cola, during which it stole records associated with hundreds of employees, including their personally identifiable information (PII), such as names and addresses, salary records, and scans of passports and visas.
NOW READ: AI job takeover begins: Mediclinic replaces admin staff to save R2 billion
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
a day ago
- The Citizen
Cupcakes of Hope spread hope one cupcake at a time
SWEET treats with the power to help raise funds for children fighting cancer – this is how NPO Cupcakes 4 Kids with Cancer gives back to the community's most vulnerable. Also read: Cupcakes of Hope raises funds for childhood cancer The NPO is partnering with paediatrician, Dr Melissa Chettiar, on September 2, to sell delicious cupcakes at Kingsway Medical Centre, Suite 104 on the first floor. She explained that statistics from the SA Registry for Cancer record a rate of around 1000 new cases per year of childhood cancers in children under 16, pointing to a disturbing rise in cases. She said she has had cases where she diagnosed young children with cancer. 'These are heartbreaking cases. I just want to create awareness among the public, so I partnered with Cupcakes 4 Kids with Cancer last year, and again this year. It's an amazing initiative that raises funds for parents of children with cancer for transport and medical costs. This money is a tremendous help for parents, because chemotherapy, radiotherapy and other treatment is so expensive. Many parents cannot afford it,' said Melissa. She said that she supports such initiatives 100% and hopes the rest of the doctors at Kingsway Medical Centre can support it as well. Cupcakes are sold at R20 each, 4 for R60 or 6 for R100, and proceeds go towards funds for transport and medical costs for children with cancer. For more information, contact Shyanne Kanayee on 079 343 2791 or Adel Naidoo on 072 090 8877. What to look out for: It is important to pick up early warning signs, as the earlier the diagnosis, the better. Lumps or swellings on the body. Easy bruising and bleeding of the gums. Bleeding in or swelling of the joints. Headaches, loss of vision. A healthy child who starts having difficulty walking. Unexplained fever or weight loss over a period of time. It is important to visit a general practitioner or paediatrician for an early assessment if your child exhibits the above symptoms. For more South Coast Sun news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok. Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter and get news delivered straight to your inbox. Do you have more information pertaining to this story? Feel free to let us know by commenting on our Facebook page or you can contact our newsroom on 031 903 2341 and speak to a journalist.
The South African
2 days ago
- The South African
South African universities combat period poverty
The Clicks Helping Hand Trust (CHHT), in partnership with the MENstruation Foundation, officially launched an important new initiative. This initiative aims to tackle period poverty at universities across South Africa. The University of the Western Cape (UWC) launched the Students on the Go campaign on 7 August. It aims to ensure students have access to free sanitary products so they can attend classes and study without interruption. A significant R2 million has been invested by CHHT to install 30 token-operated sanitary pad dispensers across five universities nationwide. Fourteen of these dispensers are already active at UWC across its Main, Community and Health Sciences, Dentistry and Mitchell's Plain campuses. The project ultimately seeks to benefit over 16,300 young women every month by providing nearly 196,000 packs of free sanitary pads annually. 'This is not just a donation. This is a movement,' said Dhevan Pillay, Chairperson of Clicks Helping Hand Trust. 'Menstruation should never be a barrier to education. We want every student to learn, grow and thrive with confidence, dignity and pride.' The initiative targets universities including UWC, the University of the Witwatersrand, North-West University, the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and Nelson Mandela University. At UWC alone, the programme will support 8,400 students and help reclaim over half a million study days lost every year due to period poverty. Period poverty remains a major social and educational challenge in South Africa, according to NWU. Siv Ngesi, co-founder of the MENstruation Foundation, stressed its urgency: 'Twenty-two million women bleed every month in South Africa. Eight million women cannot afford sanitary pads. Of those, four million are students. This is a grave injustice. I'm proud to be part of this effort to end period poverty.' Professor Robert Balfour, UWC Rector and Vice-Chancellor, underlined the importance of tangible support. 'Access to education must be material as well as formal. Students must participate fully, enthusiastically and meaningfully. Students on the Go takes a major step toward this by removing hygiene barriers.' Former UWC student and Women's Springbok rugby captain Babalwa Latsha also weighed in. 'Thank you to CHHT for saying to students, 'We see you, we support you, and we want you to win.'' Since its establishment in 2011, the Clicks Helping Hand Trust has donated over 750,000 packs of sanitary pads. This makes a lasting impact on the lives of young women nationwide. The Students on the Go initiative stands as a powerful commitment to ending period poverty in South Africa. This ensures that no student's education is compromised by a lack of access to basic menstrual hygiene products. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
2 days ago
- The Citizen
One murder, two court cases: chaos at Cape Town court
Five people are facing charges related to the murder of a retired teacher. The brutal kidnapping and murder of a retired teacher has caused confusion at the Cape Town Magistrates' Court. On 27 October 2024, Alison Dewar's body was found, stabbed to death, outside Philadelphia. Five people are facing charges related to the crime. But they are being tried in two separate cases, by different prosecutors, and investigated by different police units. There appears to be no communication between the teams. GroundUp has established that the current prosecutors in each case were unaware of the other case. Four people are charged with kidnapping, murder, theft of the victim's car, and defeating the ends of justice. But a fifth person has been charged with theft in a separate case. In November 2024, the state told the court it wanted to merge the two cases. ALSO READ: 'I was terrified' – Joburg woman recounts chilling driveway hijacking and kidnapping (VIDEO) But nine months later, this has not happened, and both cases have continued in parallel, and the merging of the cases has not been mentioned again. The police investigations have been beset by delays and inefficiencies, including delays in obtaining a postmortem report. The investigating officer in the murder case was reassigned to a less senior sergeant, with no explanation provided. In the car theft case, the accused appeared in court twice before an investigating officer was finally assigned and a docket was produced. Both cases have been postponed several times and will need to proceed to trial soon or risk being struck off. Dewar was a retired teacher who volunteered as a maths tutor at Rainbow of Hope, a non-profit organisation. A teacher at the organisation who worked with her, Shayner-Lee Wiese, told GroundUp she has little confidence in the state. 'This case is being handled as if it's not serious,' said Wiese, who has been attending the court hearings. 'Alison was someone who was committed to helping and caring for children. Does her death mean nothing?' Murdered for R5 000 Four days after her body was found, the police recovered Dewar's vehicle, a red 2024 Hyundai Creta, from the house of second-hand car salesman Obina Ugwuoke, who was arrested. Police then arrested Chukwudi Stanley and Isaac Okeowo, who were allegedly involved in stealing the car and selling it to Ugwuoke. Another person was also arrested, but charges against him were later withdrawn. A couple from Bellville, Marlon and Riani Macalagh, was also arrested. It is alleged that Dewar was murdered by the Macalaghs, who sold her car to a man called CJ for R3 000 in cash plus R2 000 worth of drugs. CJ is alleged to have sold the car to Ugwuoke for R20,000. Stanley apparently acted as a middleman for CJ, and Okeowo negotiated the price on behalf of Ugwuoke. CJ is said to have fled to Johannesburg and is still at large. It is unclear whether any attempts have been made to arrest him. First court appearance On 4 November 2024, the suspects appeared in court for the first time. Five of the accused – Stanley, Okeowo, the Macalaghs and the fifth man against whom charges were later withdrawn – were taken to the Atlantis Magistrates' Court. This was because the murder case was opened at the Philadelphia police station, which falls under Atlantis. They were charged with kidnapping, murder, theft and defeating the ends of justice. The court ruled that the case should be transferred to the Cape Town Magistrates' Court because the investigation was being led by the provincial Serious and Violent Crimes unit based in Cape Town. READ MORE: Three men found guilty for murder of would-be state witness Meanwhile, Ugwuoke was enrolled in a separate case from the other accused, and he was taken to the Cape Town Magistrates' Court, where he was charged with theft of the car. It emerged in court that no investigating officer had been assigned to the case. It was only at his third court appearance that an investigating officer was assigned, and the docket was finally disclosed to the court. Neither the Saps nor the NPA answered questions from GroundUp on why there were two separate cases for the same crime. Chaos in the court Both cases appeared before Magistrate Theart in the Cape Town Magistrates' (District) Court on 11 November. When Ugwuoke appeared in court, prosecutor Oliver Bulana told the court that his case would be added to the main murder case with the other suspects (but nine months later, this has not happened). There was still no docket, and no investigating officer had been assigned. Nonetheless, the court proceeded with bail proceedings, and Ugwuoke was released on bail for R10000. When the five accused in the murder case appeared later in the day, chaos ensued. The prosecutor told the court he was not sure what the next steps were in the case and that he would have to take instructions from a senior prosecutor. Senior prosecutor Johan Swart then came to address the court. READ MORE: DA accuses Saps of 'dismissive attitude, rudeness and lack of empathy' at police stations It emerged that the magistrate in Atlantis had used the wrong forms to transfer the case to the Cape Town Magistrates' Court – the forms said the matter was transferred to the regional court rather than the district court. So Magistrate Theart adjourned the matter, saying that the case could not appear before her in the district court. Late in the afternoon, the matter appeared in the Cape Town Regional Court before Magistrate Amori Graf, and the case was postponed. Two court appearances later, a bail hearing was held on 28 November, by which time charges against the fifth accused had been withdrawn. The Macalaghs decided not to apply for bail, but Stanley and Okeowo did apply, and they were released on R5 000 bail each. After the bail hearing, the senior investigating officer was reassigned and replaced by a junior colleague – a sergeant at the serious and violent crimes unit. Several postponements In the following months, there was a series of postponements in both cases. In the Ugwuoke car theft case, the matter was postponed five times between January and August this year. In March, the state said they were waiting for cellphone records to be analysed, and in June, the state said further evidence had to be obtained because there was a USB drive that had become corrupted. At the most recent court appearance, on 14 July, the trial was set down to begin in the regional court on 28 August. In the murder, kidnapping and theft case where the other four stand accused, the matter was postponed four times between February and August. READ MORE: Police can't say why they let an alleged rapist off the hook In April, the prosecutor told the court that they were still waiting for the postmortem report, about six months after the murder. Marlon Macalagh also applied for a bed at Valkenburg Psychiatric Hospital to be assessed to determine if he is mentally fit to stand trial. On 22 July, he was still on the waiting list. Only after his medical report is received will the trial be able to go ahead. This reporter asked the prosecutors in each case if they were aware of the other case. Both answered no. Neither the NPA nor Saps responded to GroundUp's questions. This article was republished from GroundUp under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here.
