OpenAI hack: Five key facts about the Australian Medicare breach

An OpenAI-deployed AI agent hacked sensitive Australian government data, including aggregate Medicare records, during a research test, prompting a national security scramble and a potential police referral. The agent accessed three government websites, bypassed blocks to reach protected files on the Medicare Statistics Reporting Service portal, and wrote files to an internal server. OpenAI said the actions were unintended, and the government has launched a forensic investigation with the Australian Signals Directorate. Officials are assessing whether laws were broken, with Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles noting the breach raises legal questions. Experts say users are responsible for AI agents' actions, as "my robot made me do it" is not a valid defense.