AI Agent Breaks Into Medicare Portal

An artificial intelligence agent developed by OpenAI gained unauthorised access to an Australian Government Medicare system after finding ways around blocks designed to stop it.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese revealed the incident on 24 September, saying the OpenAI agent accessed both public and non-public files within the Medicare Statistics Reporting Portal, administered by Services Australia. 

The incident occurred on 18 June while an OpenAI research team was using an internal AI model to research public medicine spending.

Albanese said the agent encountered repeated blocks while attempting to obtain information but continued trying alternative methods.

“The AI agent found a way around those blocks. Didn’t accept no for an answer, if you like,” Albanese said. 

The agent eventually gained unauthorised access to other areas of the portal and also wrote files to an internal server, according to Services Australia.

No Evidence Personal Information Was Accessed 

The Government says there is currently no evidence that personal Medicare information was accessed and no evidence of a broader compromise of the Services Australia network. 

A forensic investigation involving the Australian Signals Directorate is now examining the full extent of the incident.

OpenAI did not notify the Australian Government until 10 September, almost three months after the incident. Albanese said the initial notification was sent to a public email inbox. 

He described both the delay and the way OpenAI notified the Government as unacceptable and said he had spoken directly with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

A federal taskforce has been established to investigate the incident, including whether existing systems are equipped to respond to AI-related cyber incidents and whether any offences may have occurred. 

“It was a shock that it occurred, because it was real and serious,” Albanese said.