The HSE has admitted that a glitch affecting a Covid-related database weakened security around the vaccination details of over one million people.
The health service reportedly “misconfigured” the database in December 2021, which opened up the details of over one million people to potential exploitation. The HSE added that despite the vulnerability, no personal data was accessed by hackers.
The health body however did not make the Data Protection Commissioner aware of the issue, with the regulator only becoming aware of the security failure this week as a result of contact from the Irish Independent. The DPC is now examining the issue, and if it is determined that a breach occurred, a further investigation could be opened up with questions to be asked about why it was not notified of the issue sooner.
Aaron Costello, an external security researcher, noticed the vulnerability, and explained that the glitch allowed third parties to access vaccinated citizens’ personal information.
He said that the IT issue “allowed individuals to access sensitive personal identifiable information and protected health information of other registrants, as well as internal Health Service Executive documents”.
A statement from the HSE said that it fixed the glitch after it was made aware of the issue by Mr Costello, but it did not reveal how long the IT vulnerability had existed.
The health service attributed the lapse to the “time pressure” it faced in getting Ireland’s ‘Covax’ Covid-19 registration database up and running. The Covax system is responsible for a number of functions, including handling the records of Covid-19 vaccinations for all residents of the State, as well as assisting in the planning of vaccination clinics and being used for Covid-related analysis.
The lapse is reported as having occurred within months of the devastating HSE ransomware cyberattack carried out in May of 2021 which disrupted the health body’s activities for months and cost the taxpayer in excess of €100 million.
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I think you need to have gotten the jab to be worried about this.
Pure bloods are winning every day.
Warning to all other Gript readers: I’ll be occasionally making a “plea” (and I make such a plea here) that the health budget be cut by a half (yes – “by a half”). Public health spending has become an albatross around the neck of the tax payer – the Govt. – and seemingly a good proportion of the docile Irish – thought shutting down hospitals (in respect of a very extensive range of services they provide) was “ok” during Covid – it’s only when they “re-opened” – and, of course, after a certain “medical intervention” was rolled out – that we’ve had the phenomenon of excess deaths. I assume others have wondered, too, how we managed tolerably well during the period of the “hospital shut-down” and, also, grossly curtailed (“consultation over the phone”) GP services. That’s why – laudable as some of their stances are – I could never give a high preference to Aontu. I know a “lash and burn”/ out-do Margaret Thatcher type political party is unlikely to garner many votes in this country but it would certainly get my first preference !
I would love to see Ryanair O Leary run HSE
PFH look after the hse systems. Wonderful job they are doing in fairness. Well worth the billions they are getting.
Does not affect me as I would not be on that database. Pure blood all the way…..