UnitingCare Queensland cyber incident update

UnitingCare is pleased to advise that our key business systems have been returned to full functionality following the cyber incident on 25 April 2021. We are proud our recovery efforts allowed a swift return to ‘business as usual’ with minimal service disruption.

We thank our people, the people we support and our partners and regulators for their support, patience, and understanding while we have worked through backlogs created during system outages.

UnitingCare has strengthened the external perimeter of our digital network by introducing improved security controls across our environment. This includes increased process controls and a market-leading solution designed to detect and defend against suspicious and malicious activities, providing 24/7 monitoring of all supported servers and endpoints in our environment.

Together with external cyber security experts, we have also undertaken a rigorous process of testing, quarantining and securing affected systems before reconnection to our network. These measures ensured UnitingCare’s digital network was secure as systems returned to full functionality.

Expert forensic investigators and third-party incident response and threat eradication specialists have identified the entry point used by the threat actors to launch the cyber incident. We can now confirm the incident is contained and does not present an ongoing risk from a data or systems perspective.

While the forensic investigation has been completed, the meticulous process of mapping findings and identifying potentially impacted data continues. At this stage, we are unaware of any data being misused as a result of the incident and will immediately notify the relevant stakeholders directly should we become aware of anything to suggest otherwise.

We continue to keep the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner updated with key developments to ensure that appropriate steps are taken to safeguard the privacy interests of our community as required.

UnitingCare is grateful to our people, funding and regulatory partners, and suppliers for their patience, understanding and support. This support and cooperation has enabled UnitingCare to focus on maintaining critical services to support the people and communities we are here to serve.

Please refer to the contact details below for further information if required.

Media contact:
media@ucareqld.com.au | 0412 674 013 (please call; rather than text)