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Sensitive information about nearly 10 million Australian telecom customers may have been compromised by a massive hack of the country’s second-largest provider, the company revealed on Friday.
Optus chief executive Kelly Bayer Rosmarin said a “sophisticated” actor was behind the cyber attack, which gained information on as many as 9.8 million users.
The data accessed included customers’ names, dates of birth, phone numbers and email addresses, as well as some driver’s license and passport numbers.
No passwords or banking details were obtained, according to the Singapore-owned company.
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It is unclear whether the attack came from a state group or a criminal organization, but Bayer Rosmarin said no ransom demands were made.
“It’s too early to rule anything out,” she said, adding that police and the Australian government were investigating.
“We don’t yet know who these attackers are and what they want to do with this information.”
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has warned potentially affected Australians – a figure that matches almost half the country’s population – who could be at risk of identity theft.
“Optus customers should take immediate steps to protect all of their accounts, especially their banking and financial accounts. You should also monitor your accounts for unusual activity and be on the lookout for scammers’ contacts,” the regulator said.
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