A North Island health network with more than 87 clinics across different regions has been targetted in a cyber attack, compromising commercial and personal details.
On September 28, Pinnacle Midlands Health Network experienced a cyber attack, that impacted its regional offices and primary health care practices across Taranaki, Rotorua, Taupō-Tūrangi, Thames-Coromandel and Waikato.
CEO Justin Butcher said in a statement an in-depth investigation is underway but "malicious actors" accessed information from their systems before the breach was notified and the IT was contained.
"At this point, we cannot confirm what specific data or information may have been accessed."
And while Butcher and his team are working to identify what information has been taken, the health network is supporting those who may have been impacted.
Butcher said the Pinnacle's system flagged the incident allowing them to move "swiftly to take the affected IT offline".
The CEO added a complaint has been made to police and Butcher is working with Te Whatu Ora and other Government agencies.
"We know that people will rightfully be very concerned about this, and we want to ensure the public that Pinnacle takes our role as steward of people's information seriously," Butcher said.
"Unfortunately, malicious cyber activity is a constant threat and New Zealand is not exempt from this."
Pinnacle doesn't hold information like GP notes, but they do hold information like names, addresses and national health index numbers.
Butcher said the affected practices are still providing services and people can continue to seek care as they normally would.
"However, patients may experience delays when contacting some practices."
