After days of speculation, the private health insurer yesterday said the personal data of some of its customers – including names, addresses, Medicare numbers and phone numbers – was stolen in a cyberattack last week. On Wednesday, the company suspended trading on the stock exchange as it investigated a criminal group’s claims that it had stolen 1 million Medibank customers’ records. An exact number hasn’t been confirmed, but Medibank says it will reach out to affected customers and is working with government agencies. The insurer has been criticised over the delay, particularly after it assured investors and customers on Monday that personal data hadn’t been stolen. Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil said the series of recent cyberattacks were a “​​huge wake-up call” that gave the government a mandate to toughen Australia’s laws. #SquizShortcut