If every Wednesday’s a hump day, then every year’s a horrifying camel with too many lumps, protrusions, and growths. Fortunately though, we’re now all perched atop the 45th hump of said camel, with only seven more humps to go.
Moreover, this particular hump day brings with it some important news stories worth learning about. So let’s get cracking on with The Headlines:
Medibank Hackers Publish Stolen Data on the Dark Web
On a serious start to the day, the Medibank hacking situation has escalated. This is because the hackers that stole the personal data of around 9.7 million Aussies from Medibank demanded a ransom, were refuted, and have now started posting this info on the dark web.
The names, addresses, birthdates, and Medicare details of some Australians have been published on this ransomware group’s blog. These hackers are posting this data on two different lists: A “good-list” and a “naughty-list.”
“Looking back, that data is stored in a not very understandable format, we’ll take some time to sort it out,” said the hackers.
“We’ll continue posting data partially, need some time to do it pretty.”
On November 8, Medibank’s CEO, David Koczkar, said, “We unreservedly apologise to our customers. We take seriously our responsibility to safeguard our customers and support them. The weaponisation of their private information is malicious, and it is an attack on the most vulnerable members of our community.”
Moreover, as of midday November 9, Medibank responded to the fact that some of their customer’s personal info is now on the dark web.
“The Australian Federal Police is aware that distressing and very personal information has been released on the dark web and has immediately taken measures, including covert techniques, to identify further criminal activity,” said Medibank in a statement.
“Investigators within the AFP’s Cyber Command are working with public and private sector agencies to scour the internet and known criminal online sites to identify those who are buying or selling personal identification information.”
Medibank is encouraging its customers to work out if any unexpected or suspicious activity has happened on their online accounts. Additionally, they stated not to click any email or SMS links claiming to be from Medibank Private.
If you think you’re the victim of cybercrime, report it to ReportCyber here or at cyber.gov.au/acsc/report. If you’re in immediate danger, please call 000.
Life Expectancy of Aussies Rose Over Course of the Pandemic
Despite the fact the heights of the COVID pandemic were emotional hellscapes, Australia could have done a heaps worse job of responding to said disaster. This can be demonstrated by the fact that life expectancy in Australia bumped up between the years 2019 and 2021.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), a male born today is expected to live to be 81.3 years old and a female 85.4 years. Between 2018 and 2020, the life expectancy for these genders was 0.1 years lower.
“Life expectancy in Australia is 11.9 years longer for males and 10.6 years longer for females compared with the United Nations’ 2020 world average of 69.4 years and 74.8 years,” said Emily Walter, ABS Demography Director.
It’s also worth noting that not many nations helped increase the life expectancy of its citizens over the course of the pandemic. Australia is just one of a few to have pulled this move off.
Professor Rosemary Calder, a health social policy expert at Victoria University, said that Australia had “very strong protections for people through the lockdown periods.”
She added, “For that first year, we had very low deaths, other than in aged care.”
Related: The Five Key Takeaways from the Latest Census Data
Related: The Latest Inflation Figures Are in and Hoo Boy, We’re in for a Bumpy Ride
Last Night’s Blood Moon Eclipse Was a Stunning Knockout
On November 8, the solar system put on quite the performance. This is because the Sun, Earth, and Moon all lined up to create a syzygy, a lunar eclipse, and a blood moon.
Moreover, some of the pics from this astronomic event were just spectacular. So here are some of our faves:
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