A significant attack of the second-largest provider in Australia may have exposed sensitive information on over 10 million of its customers, the company said on Friday.
According to Kelly Rosmarin, chief executive officer of Optus, a “sophisticated” adversary was responsible for a breach that gave hackers access to data on 9.8 million consumers.
Customers’ names, birth dates, phone numbers, and email addresses, as well as some licence and passport numbers, were among the information that was accessed.
No passwords or bank details were taken, according to the Singapore-owned firm.
It is not yet clear whether the attack came from a state-based or criminal organisation, but Bayer Rosmarin said no ransom demand had been made.
“It’s too early to rule out any possibility,” she said, adding that police and the Australian government were investigating.
Reason Twitter Chose Ghana Over Nigeria For Africa Office
“We don’t yet know who these attackers are and what they want to do with this information.”
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission warned Australians who were potentially impacted – a number that matches almost half the country’s population – that they could be at risk of identity theft.
“Optus customers should take immediate steps to secure all of their accounts, particularly their bank and financial accounts. You should also monitor for unusual activity on your accounts and watch out for contact by scammers,” the watchdog said.
AFP
Follow us on Facebook
Post Disclaimer
The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author and forum participants on this website do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of Anaedo Online or official policies of the Anaedo Online.