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Polish Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski announced Wednesday a major medical data breach affecting nearly 19 million citizens, according to local news outlet Poland Daily 24.
Gawkowski said data belonging to almost 19 million Poles had been leaked in an "unprecedented" cyberattack targeting online patient records on MyDr, one of the country's largest providers of confidential medical records used by doctors and clinics.
MyDr, which belongs to the same corporate group as the well-known ZnanyLekarz platform, stores sensitive patient information, including details about medical appointments and health problems, and serves thousands of health care facilities across Poland.
The hackers claim to have obtained 18,814,422 unique PESEL identification numbers, Poland's national identification numbers, belonging to patients.
"As confirmed by the company itself, 19 million records were stolen, containing various types of data that can be linked together," Gawkowski said.
He noted that cybersecurity services were working to establish how the incident occurred and that the government was taking steps to secure all information related to the breach.
Despite the company's confirmation of the theft, Gawkowski struck a more cautious tone in written comments, saying the breach could not yet be conclusively confirmed.
"At this stage of the investigation, it is not yet possible to conclusively confirm that a data breach occurred. However, there are many indications that an unauthorized person may have gained access to the data," the minister wrote.
He added that relevant authorities had been notified and were carrying out intensive efforts to establish all the circumstances surrounding the incident, while also supporting the company in its response. The company has been continuously providing authorities with verified information related to the measures being taken.
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Zaufana Trzecia Strona, a cybersecurity-focused website, reported that the alleged perpetrators had previously contacted its journalists, claiming to possess patient data from numerous Polish medical clinics.
Gawkowski reaffirmed that there were currently no indications that the data was stolen as a result of an attack by another country.
"Nobody will negotiate with anyone," he added. "Nobody will give in to any blackmail."
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