Medibank data theft is the bank heist of 21st century in Mark Knight cartoon
Cartoonist Mark Knight compares the Medibank data theft to an old fashioned bank robbery in his latest cartoon for Kids News
READING LEVEL: RED
Thieves, burglars and bank robbers now exist mainly in the cyber world. The internet is the most likely place you and I will intersect with such low-lifes these days.
Where once upon a time thieves would be happy to run off with your television, stereo system (what’s that, I hear you say) or computer, now the most valuable possession they want to get their filthy, fat little fingers on is your personal data.
This information identifies us everyday in our online dealings, but when in the wrong hands, can be used to swindle* us out of our money or be used to create false identities from which further crimes can be committed. It is all the rage now.
This year we have seen some big corporations being hacked and held to ransom* by cyber criminal gangs who specialise in this dark field of endeavour*.
The latest is the Australian health insurance fund, Medibank. Hackers got into its customer database and had a party stealing everyone’s personal details like names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, Medicare numbers and health records.
The hackers threatened to start releasing this information if Medibank didn’t pay a $US10 million ransom and indeed started doing just that this week when the health insurance fund refused to pay up.
I decided to draw a cartoon that summed up what had happened. I wanted it to be a visual idea, using no words to explain this complex cyber crime.
To me, the name Medibank conjures* up visions of the health fund data being stored in a large bank vault for safe keeping. Who could penetrate that? We’ve all seen movies and heard stories of bank heists* where thieves have planned meticulously* to break into vaults full of cash and gold. Planned by some master criminal, they tunnel in and avoid detection.
I wanted to liken this 21st century data raid on Medibank to an old fashioned bank heist. The trick to making this idea work was being able to show the Medibank office, the bank vault, the security breach and theft of all the information in just one scene.
So it took a few sketches to plan it out and ensure the reader’s eye would scan across from left to right. We start inside the bank vault where a hole, tunnelled by the robbers, can be seen in the floor. Then the eye moves to the scattered and looted* deposit boxes, then to the open vault door, then to the incredulous* customer assistant behind the service counter and finally to the bemused* Medibank customers who have just had all their personal details stolen. Hopefully the reader gets the picture.
The cartoon seeks to show that the internet might have created a new and amazing world that has changed our lives, but some things never change. Unfortunately criminals, thieves and predators exist in this new world, just like in the old.
GLOSSARY
- swindle: to get money dishonestly from someone by deceiving or cheating them
- ransom: a sum of money demanded in exchange for someone or something that has been taken
- endeavour: an attempt to do something
- conjures: causes to appear
- meticulously: carefully, thoroughly, in great detail
- heists: robberies
- looted: to have been stolen from
- incredulous: not wanting or not able to believe
- bemused: puzzled, confused
EXTRA READING
First-ever global rule book for the internet
Australia under attack from cyber hackers
QUICK QUIZ
- Which Australian health insurance fund had its customer data stolen by hackers?
- How much money did the hackers demand from the health insurance fund?
- What happened when the health insurance fund refused to pay the ransom?
- How did Mark Knight want the reader’s eye to see the cartoon?
- What does Mark say he wants this cartoon to show?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. What are they saying?
Mark chose not to use any words in his cartoon. Write speech bubbles about what you think the people in the cartoon are saying. Use Mark’s explanation of his ideas behind the cartoon to help you.
Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English
2. Extension
What do you think big organisations like Medibank should be doing to protect customers from having personal information hacked? Write a paragraph describing the steps you think they should be taking. Use your imagination!
Time: allow 25 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science, Personal and Social Capability
VCOP ACTIVITY
Is our personal data valuable?
Why do you think people want to steal other people’s personal data? Come up with a list of three to five ways someone’s personal data could be used and what negative effect that would have on the innocent victim.
Has anyone you know ever had any personal information stolen and used without them knowing? What happened?