UPDATE: The hacker behind the Optus hack has apparently backed down from their $1.5 million ransom.
The details of 10,000 Optus customers have been released following a massive data breach which affected millions of Australians last week.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: The personal records of 10,000 Optus customers released following a massive cyberattack.
Watch the latest News on Channel 7 or stream for free on 7plus >>
The telco last Thursday admitted almost 10 million current and former customers’ data had been accessed in a cyberattack.
The information accessed included dates of birth, passport and driver licence numbers and addresses.
Now 7NEWS understand the hackers on Tuesday released 10,000 private records.
The hackers warned this would continue each day until an amount of $1.5 million is paid.
Cybersecurity expert Nigel Phair told Sunrise on Tuesday the hardest part for customers will be understanding if you’ve become a victim.
“Unless you are looking through the dark web and trying to find where this is, you won’t know at all,” he said.
“Without speaking on behalf of the organisation ... hopefully they will start telling people if they pick it up.”
“But it’ll be interesting to see what data they actually release. Some of it is more sensitive than others, dates of birth and addresses, things like Medicare numbers and passport numbers by themselves are less sensitive if it comes to identity.”
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW: The entire interview with Nigel Phair.
If you’d like to view this content, please adjust your .
To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide.
It comes as Australian law firm Slater and Gordon explores the possibility of a class action lawsuit against the telco.
Last Thursday, Optus admitted its systems had been infiltrated, leaving some 9.8 million current and former customers’ information vulnerable.
On Friday, a user on an online noticeboard under the pseudonym “optusdata” issued an ultimatum, as personal information was held to ransom by the supposed hacker.
It said it would sell the data on the dark web unless Optus paid it $US1 million ($A1.53m) in cryptocurrency.
The post attached offered the details of 200 customers as a matter of verification.
If the data goes on sale online at the end of the week, the Australian Federal Police will be watching.
A spokesperson said: “It is an offence to buy stolen credentials. Those who do face a penalty of up to 10 years’ imprisonment.”
Cybersecurity Minister Clare O’Neill told Sunrise on Tuesday tha, Optus needs to do more to better its security.
“Optus needs to beef up their security for a start, it’s pretty obvious that it’s not up to scratch,” she said.
“I think this is exposing that the federal government needs more powers here as well.
“The fact is you’ve got about 10 million Aussies who’ve had their information stolen last week and 2.8 million Australians have had about 100 points of identification stolen from Optus and there’ll be a lot of Aussies that are pretty anxious this morning.
“This is bloody serious, and we are taking it seriously.”
What to do
Optus on Monday morning said it had contacted every customer who had been impacted by the breach.
“We continue to reach out to customers who have had other details, such as their email address, illegally accessed.
“We understand and apologise for the concern that this has caused for our customers.
“Payment detail and account passwords have not been compromised as a result of this attack.”
Customers are being warned to be additionally vigilant for suspicious text messages and emails in the coming weeks.
In correspondence seen by 7NEWS.com.au between a customer service worker and a victim, the customer is told to be aware for scammers.
“Optus will not be sending links in any emails or SMS messages to you,” the service worker wrote.
“If you receive one asking you to visit a link, it may be a scammer. Never click on any links that look suspicious, and don’t provide your passwords or any personal or financial information in these instances.”
Action being taken
The breach is forcing the federal government to take action.
Privacy rules would be overhauled so that banks can be alerted faster following cyberattacks.
“This is a huge wake-up call for the corporate sector in terms of protecting the data,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told Brisbane radio 4BC.
“We know that in today’s world there are actors - some state actors but also some criminal organisations - who want to get access to people’s data.”
O’Neill said at the weekend more details about the changes would be announced by the government “in the coming days”.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the government was working to make sure it was “responding adequately”.
“If there are changes to the arrangements that need to be made in the future, the minister will make that clear,” he said.
Beefing up cybersecurity was a prominent feature in the 2020 federal Budget, with $1.66 billion allocated over a decade to fortifying network infrastructure.
More to come ...
If you’d like to view this content, please adjust your .
To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMigQFodHRwczovLzduZXdzLmNvbS5hdS90ZWNobm9sb2d5L29wdHVzL3BlcnNvbmFsLXJlY29yZHMtb2YtMTAwMDAtb3B0dXMtY3VzdG9tZXJzLXJlbGVhc2VkLWZvbGxvd2luZy1tYXNzaXZlLWN5YmVyLWF0dGFjay1jLTgzNjU0MzHSAQA?oc=5
2022-09-26 22:10:00Z
1577379749
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Optus cyber attack: Hackers behind the massive data breach release thousands of personal details amid $1.5 million ransom - 7NEWS"
Post a Comment