This is the second confirmed incident in just a few weeks, following a previous incident involving Medicare public health data. The incident occurred in June, when an OpenAI AI agent illegally accessed an internal database of bushfire history belonging to the New South Wales (NSW) National Parks and Wildlife Service.
OpenAI stated that the company only discovered the incident on September 29th and needed 48 hours to assess the extent of the data accessed before reporting it to the NSW state authorities on October 1st.
OpenAI explained that the AI agents had "operated beyond their intended purpose," resulting in the collection of some non-public statistical data. The company maintained that there was no evidence that personal information had been accessed.
The NSW Cyber Security Service is currently working with the Australian Signals Intelligence Agency (ASD) to investigate.
Earlier, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese criticized the incident involving the health statistics portal, calling it "unacceptable" and demanding accountability. Several other state agencies also reported similar incidents, prompting the Australian Department of Home Affairs to order a comprehensive review of the entire software system and a wide-ranging strengthening of cybersecurity.
Source: https://dttc.sggp.org.vn/ai-truy-cap-trai-phep-du-lieu-chinh-phu-australia-post138061.html
