A seller on the darknet, the part of the Internet accessible only through special software, is offering to sell the universal health care numbers of any Australian, according to reports published Tuesday.

Medicare, a universal health care system that operates essentially as a government-issued credit card for free and discounted healthcare services, is issued to every Australian. The news, which was first revealed by The Guardian Australia, says the alleged darknet seller claims to have access to any Australian’s Medicare card details and can supply them on request for AU$30 ($22). The seller is also said to be using the logo of the Australian Department of Human Services to advertise the service, which it calls “the Medicare machine.”

Medicare card numbers are valuable to organized crime groups, as the details can be used to produce fake physical Medicare cards with legitimate information for the purposes of identity fraud. In Australia, a Medicare card can be used in conjunction with another form of ID to sign up for various services ranging from opening a bank account to hiring a car.

While not specific about how the Medicare numbers are being obtained, the person selling them claims to be “exploiting a vulnerability” in a government system. If true, that would mean that data on every Australian citizen in government databases could potentially be accessed, a serious security issue.

The claim comes as the Australian government is trying to implement a national health database dubbed “My Health Record” that would link medical records on a central database to allow medical professionals to access historical data for any patient.

Information technology specialist Paul Power told News Corp. that if hackers have access to Medicare card numbers, it would allow them to also access a person’s Individual Healthcare Identifier, which in turn would permit access to their My Health Record. “The fact [the breach] has been exposed is a good thing because it raises the awareness of decision makers,” he added.

Photo: Duncan Riley