Channel News Asia (CNA) reports that the medical records of almost 20,000 Malaysians were freely available online. The reports states that these records were freely accessible from any computer server worldwide.
Specifically, the personal information of 19922 Malaysian patients were publicly accessible. These included their names, dates of birth and dates of medical examination. Alongside them were about 1.2 million medical images from the exams, from X-rays to CT and MRI scans.
CNA cites German security firm Greenbone Networks as saying that the data leaks “is one of the largest data glitches worldwide”. It affected at least 52 countries, with the most affected being the US. Some 13.7 million US citizens have had their personal data compromised, alongside 45.8 million images associated with their medical exams.
The initial report by Greenbone Networks was published earlier in the week. As of now, it’s unclear as to what extent these medical records have been secured by healthcare providers around the world.
(Source: CNA)
