Photo: RNZ / Finn Blackwell
Health authorities in the Cook Islands and Niue say their clinical health data is secure following a major cyber breach of the ManageMyHealth patient portal in New Zealand.
The incident was reported on 31 December in Aotearoa, with hackers threatening to release personal health data unless a ransom is paid.
In the Cook Islands, Te Marae Ora Ministry of Health detected an attempt to hack local data, but it was unsuccessful.
Health secretary Bob Williams told CITV News "the data remains secure".
The ManageMyHealth patient portal was launched in the Cook Islands in April last year and is used by some GP clinics to store and manage patient information.
In Niue, the Department of Health issued a community advisory stating they have not detected a breach of any internal clinical records.
The ManageMyHealth application is not used by the Department of Health, but they do use its partner Medtech for internal systems.
However, officials warned that Niue residents who have independently registered with the ManageMyHealth app could be affected.
"Although there is a low-risk impact on our community regarding the above breach in NZ, we are aware the there are some in our community that are registered and use the app," the health department said.
The director of health, Minerva Ikimau-McCurdy encouraged patients who use the app to stay informed as investigations continue in New Zealand.
"If you are registered and use the ManageMyHealth app, please note that some of your information therein could potentially be affected."
Authorities in both countries said they will continue to provide updates locally as investigations continue.
The operators of New Zealand's ManageMyHealth say they have received "independent confirmation" from IT experts the flaws in its code have been fixed.
