Emails and text messages had been sent to the public under the guise of the department, claiming the recipients were exposed to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and should seek medical advice and get tested as soon as possible, according to the DH.
The department said it is conducting a thorough investigation of the incident, stressing that it would not notify individuals in this manner.
“Upon discovering the incident last night, DH staff immediately conducted a comprehensive inspection of the network system with the outsourced service provider and investigated the incident overnight,” it said.
“So far, no data loss or leakage has been detected. The DH reported the incident to the police and notified the Digital Policy Office.”
The DH added that its HIV testing service website had been suspended from Saturday for the investigation, but members of the public could still book for HIV tests via phone calls.