The second-largest telecommunications company in Australia, Optus, recently reported a cyberattack. The names, phone numbers, email addresses, and dates of birth of the customers. The company which has more than ten million subscribers revealed that the attack was shut soon. However, the attack could not be shut down before the users’ driver’s licenses and passport numbers were leaked. According to Optus, the payment information and passwords of their clients were not compromised.
Optus Says
In a tweet, Optus revealed that they were working closely with the Australian Cyber Security Centre, other authorities, and key regulators to mitigate the risks customers were exposed to. The Australian federal police and financial institutions were also informed about the breach.
Optus also advised users to stay aware across all their accounts and to look out for fraudulent or suspicious activity.
Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, the Chief Executive of the company, apologized to all clients, publicly on ABC TV.
Investigators are still trying to understand the source of the breach and the real purpose behind it. David Emm, a cyber-security researcher at Kaspersky, told BBC news that it was a good move for Optus to inform their clients about the breach and the kind of risks they were exposed to. He also revealed that it was quite reassuring that no payment data or passwords of clients were stolen due to the breach. He also advised all clients to be on the alert for fraudulent activity and protect themselves with unique passwords and two-factor authentication. Optus is making every effort to resolve the issue at the earliest.
