Recent reports revealed that the Australia-based telecommunications firm Optus had been hit with a data breach attack, compromising the personal data of millions of Australian citizens. This issue came to light after the telco released a public statement, disclosing that approximately nine million Australians’ data might be exposed to hackers.
The telco’s statement also mentioned which customer information could have been exposed, including full names, birthdates, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, and identification document numbers. Although, Optus clarified that the customers’ payment data and account passwords are safe from compromise.
Experts believe the data breach attack had transpired through a vulnerability in Optus telco’s firewall, allowing threat actors to access their systems.
According to a separate researcher, Australia has been a target of cyberattacks, with threat actors exploiting technical vulnerabilities to steal sensitive data, which is likely to be used for further attacks. The Optus breach has concerned several security authorities and is considered one of the most serious security incidents that hit an Australian business.
The telco firm’s statement also confirmed that it had affected their current and former customers, although all Optus-owned telco partners were safe.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) had already been contacted by the telco to aid them in the situation, although they said they cannot comment further as investigations are still at hand. Optus also shared their concern for all impacted customers, assuring them to work hard to mitigate the problem as soon as possible.
Optus also claimed that there is no proof yet that the hackers were misusing the customers’ data for other cyberattacks. However, the affected customers are advised to heighten their awareness and secure their online accounts as the threat of data misuse is still probable.
Finally, the customers are assured that all Optus services remain operational as the breach did not impact them.
As the Optus breach became a hot topic online, many customers had taken to social media to express concerns about why the telco firm had not notified them of the incident. Because of these complaints, the telco firm said to visit their official website, where all relevant details are shared, and contact them regarding urgent concerns.
