Tonga's Health System 'Fully Restored' After Cyber Attack With Australia's Help
The assault on the system a month ago led to a demand by the hackers for a ransom of one million dollars.
RNZ Pacific Tonga correspondent Kalafi Moala updated us about the latest developments.
(This transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity.)
KALAFI MOALA: The system was hacked, the health information system, and they asked for payment of a million dollars to have the system back.
The government or the Ministry of Health refused to make any payments. In the meantime, they called for help to Australia, who sent their expertise to help them out.
The way the Minister of Health (Dr Ana Akauola) described it was that it was within 48 hours they were able to call for help, and immediately there was a response. And it was very, very key in helping them restore the system.
DON WISEMAN: The presumption has always been that these villains located overseas. Do we know any more about that?
KM: No, there's nothing that has been revealed, or at least that has been disclosed from the ministry, other than the fact that they're from overseas. They couldn't put a face to them.
In other words, they were not any individuals, just that there was a group that did that. But the talk, of course, the guesses in town is that probably there's a group overseas that had local connections that did the hacking.
DW: The Australians have left. Have they left a system in place that's stronger than it was before they made that announcement?
KM: The Minister of Health made that announcement yesterday (Wednesday), saying that the system has been fully restored. She used the term, saying there's still some gaps, but they're back into it.
I think with the restoration of the system, they also have had a backup, so that if this thing happens again, they've got a backup to the information system.
DW: Tongans who had health issues, or have health issues, had been told that they needed to take what information they had. Hand written, I guess, information they had to take into appointments, outpatient appointments and so on. That's not still happening?
KM: Well, no, that's not happening. But they were basically responding to the shock that came from people saying, what's going to happen to us now if we're going to go in when some of the patients don't even know the kind of records they get. For example, things that they are allergic to, the kind of medication and its details that they were given.
So, the restoration of the system really recovers all of that without having the patient to be able to come into the hospital and and try to bring up all that information. I think it's really good, and it's returned to what it was.
DW: I guess the officials and health are very concerned about things and so with the government. But to what extent did it bother the people?
KM: Well, it really was a scare for people. Look, the immediate response was, what does this mean for me? The thing is, a patient, 'I've got my own personal information in somebody else's hands, who's a criminal who not only stole it, but basically are demanding money for the returning of that information.
But one of the issues is that Tonga is turning to become digital in so many of its services, like you go to apply now for birth certificate, marriage certificate, and all those things are being now, including visas, being now done digitally.
And so that transition, it means that all the government systems are going to be digital. This hacking that took place, it's like a warning that we need to be careful in what we're doing, and we need to have backup systems, and that security is so important as Tonga is becoming more digital in its government services.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
6 days ago
- Scoop
Pacific Security And Health Leaders Pledge Cooperation
A conference of Pacific security and health leaders concluded in Suva last week with the promise to "collaborate more" on a drug crisis spiralling out of control. But public health experts say that law enforcement are undermining efforts to combat the drug-driven spread of HIV in Fiji, putting the wider region at risk. This comes at a time when transmission of the disease has risen to levels only surpassed by the Philippines within the Asia-Pacific region, according to UNAIDS. National HIV Response Taskforce chair Dr Jason Mitchell believes Fiji is still far behind where they need to be in terms of detection and prevention measures. "I think a lot of times when we are trying to introduce strong public health interventions, there's opposition, oftentimes from our law enforcement agencies." Dr Mitchell told RNZ Pacific that progressive prevention measures, such as needle and syringe programmes, are often opposed at all levels of Pacific governments. "There may be legislation that they are often expected to uphold. They could also be responding to the public or political sentiments around drugs and drug users." Speaking at the recent Pacific Regional and National Security Conference 2025, held in Suva, Dr Mitchell said that the growing drug trade in the Pacific is driving the spread of HIV. "About 50 percent of people who were infected with HIV last year were as a result of intravenous drug use" UN: 'Of course' police don't help According to a new UNAIDS report, "Aids, Crisis and the Power to Transform" Fiji stands out in all the worst ways. "Since 2014, number of new HIV infections in Fiji has risen by an alarming 10-fold. UNAIDS estimates that in 2014, there were fewer than 500 people living with HIV in Fiji. Just 10 years later, that number was 5900." That rate, according to the report puts Fiji above Papua New Guinea, the previous regional leaders, to the second fastest transmission rate in the Asia-Pacific, behind only the Philippines. The report further acknowledges that given people struggle to access support services where their case would be recorded, these estimates could fall short. "In 2024, only 36 percent of people living with HIV in Fiji were aware of their HIV status, and only 24 percent were receiving treatment." When asked whether law enforcement in Fiji hinders public health efforts, UNAIDS head Renata Ram said yes. "In the Pacific, law enforcement policies can sometimes create significant barriers to effective HIV prevention, particularly for key populations such as sex workers, men who have sex with men, and people who use drugs." "The criminalisation of these populations in many Pacific Island countries contributes to increased stigma and discrimination, driving them further away from essential health and HIV services." Ram said that colonial-era laws that continue to criminalise same-sex relations, sex work and drug possession are causing HIV-infected persons to avoid seeking help. "Punitive drug laws and the lack of protective legal environments for vulnerable populations hinder the implementation and scale-up of high-impact interventions, such as needle-syringe programmes and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)." Collaboration needed on all fronts Fiji Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu said at the conference that he and Dr Mitchell are finding time to sit down and have a chat. "It's more befitting for us to have more conference in regards to this, so that we can know what's happening in other countries, share information, look into the success stories of other countries, and how can we ourselves learn from what other countries are doing well." Tudravu said they have to fight a war on two fronts: trying to hold back the spread of drugs internally, while stopping the flow of drugs into the country from the wider Pacific. "We share information, we share resources, and we help each other... but having said that Pacific islands are limited to the resources that we have, so we need the partners that are out there, our bigger brothers, to come on board, because what we are doing in the Pacific also affects them." Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime's head of the Pacific programme Virginia Comolli told RNZ Pacific that a transnational operation, with shared resources and the help of Australia and New Zealand, would give police the space to make changes internally. "This is certainly a law enforcement issue that requires involvement of the police and customs, etc, but it also requires these security actors to cooperate closely with doctors, with public health practitioners, with mental health specialists." Comolli said she was impressed with how open and frank the police leaders were. "They are the first ones to say they cannot fight this challenge alone... who would admit that capabilities within law enforcement aren't always up to scratch." "They also highlighted how legislation needs to be to be updated in order to be on par with these emerging challenges in the introduction of new illicit substances. So I think there was lots of honesty there."
Scoop
18-07-2025
- Scoop
Tonga's Health System 'Fully Restored' After Cyber Attack With Australia's Help
Problems resulting from a cyber attack on Tonga's Health Information System appear to have been resolved. The assault on the system a month ago led to a demand by the hackers for a ransom of one million dollars. RNZ Pacific Tonga correspondent Kalafi Moala updated us about the latest developments. (This transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity.) KALAFI MOALA: The system was hacked, the health information system, and they asked for payment of a million dollars to have the system back. The government or the Ministry of Health refused to make any payments. In the meantime, they called for help to Australia, who sent their expertise to help them out. The way the Minister of Health (Dr Ana Akauola) described it was that it was within 48 hours they were able to call for help, and immediately there was a response. And it was very, very key in helping them restore the system. DON WISEMAN: The presumption has always been that these villains located overseas. Do we know any more about that? KM: No, there's nothing that has been revealed, or at least that has been disclosed from the ministry, other than the fact that they're from overseas. They couldn't put a face to them. In other words, they were not any individuals, just that there was a group that did that. But the talk, of course, the guesses in town is that probably there's a group overseas that had local connections that did the hacking. DW: The Australians have left. Have they left a system in place that's stronger than it was before they made that announcement? KM: The Minister of Health made that announcement yesterday (Wednesday), saying that the system has been fully restored. She used the term, saying there's still some gaps, but they're back into it. I think with the restoration of the system, they also have had a backup, so that if this thing happens again, they've got a backup to the information system. DW: Tongans who had health issues, or have health issues, had been told that they needed to take what information they had. Hand written, I guess, information they had to take into appointments, outpatient appointments and so on. That's not still happening? KM: Well, no, that's not happening. But they were basically responding to the shock that came from people saying, what's going to happen to us now if we're going to go in when some of the patients don't even know the kind of records they get. For example, things that they are allergic to, the kind of medication and its details that they were given. So, the restoration of the system really recovers all of that without having the patient to be able to come into the hospital and and try to bring up all that information. I think it's really good, and it's returned to what it was. DW: I guess the officials and health are very concerned about things and so with the government. But to what extent did it bother the people? KM: Well, it really was a scare for people. Look, the immediate response was, what does this mean for me? The thing is, a patient, 'I've got my own personal information in somebody else's hands, who's a criminal who not only stole it, but basically are demanding money for the returning of that information. But one of the issues is that Tonga is turning to become digital in so many of its services, like you go to apply now for birth certificate, marriage certificate, and all those things are being now, including visas, being now done digitally. And so that transition, it means that all the government systems are going to be digital. This hacking that took place, it's like a warning that we need to be careful in what we're doing, and we need to have backup systems, and that security is so important as Tonga is becoming more digital in its government services.
RNZ News
17-07-2025
- RNZ News
Tonga's health system 'fully restored' after cyber attack with Australia's help
Tonga's Health Minister Dr ʻAna ʻAkauʻola said that the system has been fully restored. Photo: 123RF Problems resulting from a cyber attack on Tonga's Health Information System appear to have been resolved. The assault on the system a month ago led to a demand by the hackers for a ransom of one million dollars. RNZ Pacific Tonga correspondent Kalafi Moala updated us about the latest developments. (This transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity.) KALAFI MOALA: The system was hacked, the health information system, and they asked for payment of a million dollars to have the system back. The government or the Ministry of Health refused to make any payments. In the meantime, they called for help to Australia, who sent their expertise to help them out. The way the Minister of Health (Dr ʻAna ʻAkauʻola) described it was that it was within 48 hours they were able to call for help, and immediately there was a response. And it was very, very key in helping them restore the system. DON WISEMAN: The presumption has always been that these villains located overseas. Do we know any more about that? KM: No, there's nothing that has been revealed, or at least that has been disclosed from the ministry, other than the fact that they're from overseas. They couldn't put a face to them. In other words, they were not any individuals, just that there was a group that did that. But the talk, of course, the guesses in town is that probably there's a group overseas that had local connections that did the hacking. DW: The Australians have left. Have they left a system in place that's stronger than it was before they made that announcement? KM: The Minister of Health made that announcement yesterday (Wednesday), saying that the system has been fully restored. She used the term, saying there's still some gaps, but they're back into it. I think with the restoration of the system, they also have had a backup, so that if this thing happens again, they've got a backup to the information system. DW: Tongans who had health issues, or have health issues, had been told that they needed to take what information they had. Hand written, I guess, information they had to take into appointments, outpatient appointments and so on. That's not still happening? KM: Well, no, that's not happening. But they were basically responding to the shock that came from people saying, what's going to happen to us now if we're going to go in when some of the patients don't even know the kind of records they get. For example, things that they are allergic to, the kind of medication and its details that they were given. So, the restoration of the system really recovers all of that without having the patient to be able to come into the hospital and and try to bring up all that information. I think it's really good, and it's returned to what it was. DW: I guess the officials and health are very concerned about things and so with the government. But to what extent did it bother the people? KM: Well, it really was a scare for people. Look, the immediate response was, what does this mean for me? The thing is, a patient, 'I've got my own personal information in somebody else's hands, who's a criminal who not only stole it, but basically are demanding money for the returning of that information. But one of the issues is that Tonga is turning to become digital in so many of its services, like you go to apply now for birth certificate, marriage certificate, and all those things are being now, including visas, being now done digitally. And so that transition, it means that all the government systems are going to be digital. This hacking that took place, it's like a warning that we need to be careful in what we're doing, and we need to have backup systems, and that security is so important as Tonga is becoming more digital in its government services.
