Pinnacle Midlands Health Network Cyber Incident

Pinnacle Midlands Health Network has experienced a cyber incident impacting some of its IT services.

The services impacted include the Pinnacle group regional offices, and Primary Health Care Ltd (PHCL) practices across Taranaki, Rotorua, Taupō-Tūrangi, Thames-Coromandel and Waikato.

The incident took place on Wednesday 28 September 2022, and the affected IT was immediately taken offline and contained.

Justin Butcher, CEO of Pinnacle Incorporated says that while investigations are still underway it appears that before the breach was notified and the IT was contained the malicious actors accessed information from the system, which could include commercial and personal details.

“At this point in time, we cannot confirm what specific data or information may have been accessed, but we are working through a process to better understand that. This will take time, however, we believe it is important to disclose this incident now, so we can support those people who have potentially been impacted.

“Our systems flagged the incident with us, and we were able to move swiftly to take the affected IT offline. We engaged external support partners and launched an in-depth investigation alongside relevant authorities. We have also laid a complaint with the Police and are working alongside Te Whatu Ora and a number of 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 stewards of people’s information seriously, and security is of utmost importance to us. Unfortunately, malicious cyber activity is a constant threat and New Zealand is not exempt from this.

“We have put contingency plans in place and are working to understand exactly what happened and who has been impacted. We have notified the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.”

Pinnacle does not hold information like GP notes, but does hold personal information such as names, addresses and National Health Index (NHI) numbers.

The affected practices are still providing services, and people can continue to seek care as normal. However, patients may experience delays when contacting some practices. So, if you are needing care, please call your doctor or medical centre as you normally would.

A freephone support line will be set up today for people wanting further information. More details will also be shared on the website www.pinnacle.co.nz when available.

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