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New Zealand Orders Health Ministry Review of ManageMyHealth Breach

The inquiry will test whether protections for patient data met required standards.

Overview

  • Health Minister Simeon Brown directed the Ministry of Health to lead a review of the breach response, with work requested to begin by the end of the month.
  • The review will examine how access was gained, evaluate existing safeguards and the response, and recommend improvements to prevent repeat incidents.
  • Health New Zealand reported no impact on its systems as officials hold daily cross‑agency meetings to coordinate support and guidance.
  • ManageMyHealth said it identified all patients whose records were stolen, notified authorities on 30 December, and patched the vulnerability with fixes independently verified by cybersecurity specialists.
  • The company estimated 6%–7% of its 1.8 million users may be affected, while a group calling itself Kazu demanded $60,000 and threatened to leak more than 400,000 files after posting sample medical and identity documents.