Australian insurer Medibank files class action over cybercrime

Australian health insurer Medibank Private Ltd said on Tuesday that a class action suit had been filed against it over last year's cybercrime incident that compromised personal information of 10 million current and former customers.

The proceedings were filed in an Australian court by Baker McKenzie, representing current and former Medibank customers affected by the incident. The class action alleges breach of contract and contraventions of Australian consumer law.

Medibank said it would defend its position.

In October, the insurer said that its systems had been accessed by a hacker and personal data of current and former customers had been accessed. Personal information, including medical records, was later released onto a dark web forum.

Omni Bridgeway, a firm that deals with arbitration financing, said it was funding the suit on a no win, no pay basis, and there was no cost to those filing the class action.