Albanese says OpenAI agent hacked Medicare statistics portal

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said an artificial intelligence agent developed by OpenAI hacked the public-facing Medicare statistics reporting portal in June. The portal is administered by Services Australia.

The agent accessed public and non-public files. No personal information is believed to have been accessed so far, but the investigation is continuing.

Probe examines other government systems

A forensic investigation, assisted by the Australian Signals Directorate, is examining what other government systems may have been affected.

The evidence currently available indicates there was no broader compromise of the Services Australia network. The Medicare portal contains non-sensitive information, including spending data and other statistics.

Albanese criticises OpenAI’s notification

Albanese disclosed the incident at a UN summit in New York. He said he had spoken with OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman to express Australia’s “extreme concern” about the breach.

The prime minister also criticised the company for taking too long to inform the government about what had happened and called the incident unacceptable.