September 2026

News

In this issue

Cyber Security Alert – Be Vigilant
Experience new integrated solutions at Pharmacy Connect 2026
This Month's PBS Changes
Running the monthly update for Fred Dispense

Cyber Security Alert – Be Vigilant

We're continuing to see a significant increase in cyber attacks targeting pharmacies. Recent incidents have involved compromised pharmacy, medical centre and dental clinic email accounts being used to send phishing emails to contacts. Because these emails come from someone you know, they're much harder to identify than traditional spam and frequently catch people off guard.

The most common pattern: a staff member receives an email from a trusted source, clicks a link, and malicious software gives attackers full control of the PC, allowing them to operate it as though sitting at the keyboard themselves.

It only takes one person clicking one link.

Be cautious of emails that:

  • Create urgency or pressure to act immediately
  • Contain unexpected invoices, documents, voice messages or shared files
  • Come from legitimate contacts but seem unusual or out of character
  • Request installation of software, updates or remote support tools
  • Include QR codes asking you to sign in or verify information

After gaining access to an account, attackers often create rules to hide their activity. Take a few minutes to check for:

  • Forwarding rules you did not create
  • Rules moving emails to Deleted Items or automatically marking them as read
  • Unexpected folders in your mailbox
  • Sent emails or replies you don't recognise
  • Password reset notifications you weren't expecting

If you find any of these, assume the account may be compromised and investigate immediately.

Why this matters

You can have excellent cyber security systems in place, but if valid credentials are compromised the attacker effectively walks in through the front door. Once inside, they can impersonate staff, search emails for sensitive information, access online portals and attempt to compromise other businesses.

Pharmacies hold highly sensitive health information and are subject to privacy legislation. If customer information is accessed or disclosed, you may have obligations to report under the Notifiable Data Breaches Scheme (NDBS) and to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). The operational, reputational and regulatory impacts can be significant.

  • Stop and think before clicking links or opening attachments.
  • Verify unusual requests by phone, even if they appear to come from someone you know.
  • Enable Multi-Factor Authentication wherever possible.
  • Use strong, unique passwords.
  • Review who has remote access to systems containing sensitive information.
  • Ensure staff receive regular cyber awareness training.
  • Consider 24x7 SOC monitoring and threat detection services. In several recent incidents, malicious remote access software was detected and isolated before further damage could occur.

Most attacks today are not sophisticated technical hacks. They start with someone clicking a link that looked legitimate. Take a moment to pause, verify and think before you click.

If you think you may have clicked a malicious link, entered your password on a suspicious website, or noticed unusual activity on your account, contact Fred IT Group or your local IT partner immediately. It's always better to investigate a false alarm than respond after the damage is done.

Experience new integrated solutions at Pharmacy Connect 2026

Fred & MedView

Wed 9 Sep - Fri 11 Sep | Stand 56-57

  • Preview the end-to-end vaccination workflow in Fred Dispense Plus

  • Experience Fred HQ Plus and simplify multi-store management from the cloud.

  • See MedView Smart Shelf in action and streamline pricing, promotions, and shelf management.

  • Discover the power of Worx and gain real-time visibility and control across your pharmacy.

Enhancing Medicines Safety and Pharmacist Scope through AI and Patient Histories

Thu 10 Sep | 12.15 - 1.00pm | Wharf Rooms 1-3, Lobby Level

Jason Bratuskins - Product Manager, eRx Script Exchange

Andrew Matthews - Partnerships and Engagement Lead Digital Health, Fred IT Group

With prescribing rights expanding and scope of practice evolving, pharmacy technology is becoming critical to safer, more accessible care. This session explores how integrated, cloud-based systems, real-time Patient Medicine History platforms, and AI are transforming community pharmacy—streamlining workflows, reducing manual tasks, and enabling pharmacists to focus on clinical decision-making and improved patient outcomes.

View Pharmacy Connect Program

This Month's PBS Changes

For the full Schedule of Pharmaceutical Benefits, go to the PBS website at http://www.pbs.gov.au/ where you can search the schedule by drug name.

For your convenience, we've also uploaded a printable summary of this month's important PBS changes to this site.

The next edition of the PBS Summary of Changes will be published here on 1 September.

For Highly Specialised Drugs (HSD) items (CAR and non-CAR), please refer to the Schedule of Pharmaceutical Benefits as well as Services Australia to confirm whether the PBS item code for a HSD is eligible to be dispensed and claimed by your pharmacy type.

Running the monthly update for Fred Dispense

VIEW THE update procedure