IVF Clinic in Australia Rocked by a Cyberattack

Fertilisation in an IVF facility. DrKontogianniIVF/Pixabay

Australian in vitro fertilisation (IVF) provider Genea has been rocked by a cyberattack on its system, prompting fears personal information may have been leaked.

The fertility company said it was working hard to ensure “minimal disruption” to the treatment provided to its patients.

“If you do not hear from your local Genea clinic, there is no change to your current treatment schedule,” Genea said in a notification to patients.

“We acknowledge the importance that people place on their information, especially in this current environment. We are committed to keeping you updated as we learn more.”

The IVF clinic confirmed they had identified suspicious activity on their network, leading them to launch an urgent investigation.

“As soon as we detected the incident, we took immediate steps to contain the incident and secure our systems,” Genea said.

“Our ongoing investigation has identified that an unauthorised third party has accessed Genea data. We are urgently investigating the nature and extent of data that has been accessed and the extent to which it contains personal information.”

The IVF company boasts “world-leading fertility technology” and success rates are consistently higher than the national average. The company was founded by Professor Robert Jansen in 1986 as Sydney IVF. The company has clinics in NSW, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Canberra.

Genea said they would let any individuals know if their investigation found any evidence of personal information being impacted.

Further, the clinic apologised for any concern the incident may cause and reassured patients they take their privacy and data security very seriously.

“We also want to reassure you that our teams of specialists, nurses and office support staff are working tirelessly to ensure that there is minimal disruption to your treatment, which is of our utmost priority and importance,” the clinic said.

In 2024, the Australian government was advised that 12.9 million individuals may have been impacted by a cyber security incident at MediSecure.

These individuals may have had their “personal and health information relating to prescriptions” and healthcare provider information exposed, according to the Home Affairs Department.

Australian health insurer Medibank experienced a cyber breach in October 2022, impacting 9.7 million customers.

In the director-general’s annual threat assessment 2025, ASIO Director-General of Security Mike Burgess warned that cyber-enabled sabotage presents a more acute concern for Australia than physical sabotage.

“Cyber units from at least one nation state routinely try to explore and exploit Australia’s critical infrastructure networks, almost certainly mapping systems so they can lay down malware or maintain access in the future,” Burgess warned.

IVF Mix-Up

Meanwhile, in the United States, a woman has launched legal action after giving birth to another couple’s baby. The woman lost custody of the child to the biological parents following the incident.

Krystena Murray launched the lawsuit in the state of Georgia against defendants Coastal Fertility Specialists.

“Krystena Murray entrusted Coastal Fertility to assist her in becoming pregnant so that she could deliver her biological child. Coastal Fertility created embryos for Ms. Murray—using her eggs—and then transferred an embryo to Ms. Murray, who became pregnant,” the lawsuit states (pdf).

“When Ms. Murray delivered her child, however, it was readily apparent the defendants had transferred an embryo that did not belong to Ms. Murray. The child was African American, and Ms. Murray is white.”

The lawsuit states that five months following the birth, Murray had bonded with the baby and wanted to keep the child.

However, after finding out the embryo belonged to another couple, Coastal Fertility alerted the Stranger Couple, who then sued Murray in family court for custody of the baby.

“Murray’s connection to the child has been erased: his birth certificate has been changed to the new name the Stranger Couple later chose for the child: and he lives with the Stranger Couple, who have full custody in a different state from Ms. Murray.”

In a statement, Coastal Fertility Specialists said they deeply regret the distress caused by an ‘unprecedented error” that resulted in an embryo transfer mix-up.

“While this ultimately led to the birth of a healthy child, we recognise the profound impact this situation has had on the affected families, and we extend our sincerest apologies,” the clinic said.

“To clarify, all of Ms. Murray’s embryos have been accounted for and are available to her at any time. Our commitment remains to supporting all impacted families with transparency and compassion.”