• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Here's what you need to know after the huge Optus hacking scandal

Home> News

Updated 06:59 23 Sep 2022 GMT+1Published 06:55 23 Sep 2022 GMT+1

Here's what you need to know after the huge Optus hacking scandal

Millions of Australians have been affected in the data breach and a warning has been issued to all customers.

Helena Pantsis

Helena Pantsis

Optus suffered a major data breach this week, with cyber criminals hacking into the database of the telecommunications company and gaining access to approximately the personal information of nine million customers nationwide.

Accessing passport details, licence numbers, emails, home addresses, dates of birth, and telephone numbers, Optus has confirmed around 2.8 million customers have definitely been affected.

Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin spoke out said: “We are devastated to discover that we have been subject to a cyberattack that has resulted in the disclosure of our customers’ personal information to someone who shouldn’t see it."

Australian Consumer and Competition Commission deputy chair Delia Rickard told Channel Nine that the breach has provided hackers with enough details to commit identity fraud on at least 10 per cent of Australia’s population.

Advert

“These are all the things that you need for identity theft and also all the things you need to personalise a scam and make it much more convincing,” she said.

The telecommunications giant is still investigating the cause and source of the breach, along with the data that was obtained. Former Australian Federal Police officer and cyber security expert Nigel Phair has spoken to ABC news, stating: “ There's been a weakness somewhere and invariably that weakness, from what we've seen normally, is from a human.”

Over the coming days, Optus intends to contact all customers to inform them if their data has been compromised or not.

In the meantime, Optus customers are urged to secure all accounts.

They've been told to enable Two Factor Authentication to strengthen security and increase the difficulty in which hackers and scammers can access your accounts. 

Advert

Be on the lookout for any unusual activity in your online behaviour and records and inform the less technologically capable people in your life of the risks and tricks to watch out for when it comes to cyber criminals.

Featured Image Credit: Takatoshi Kurikawa / Alamy Stock Photo

Topics: Australia

Helena Pantsis
Helena Pantsis

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

9 hours ago
10 hours ago
  • 9 hours ago

    Everything we know about Texas floods that have killed at least 121 as Trump arrives at disaster site

    The President and the First Lady have headed to the state one week after the horror floods wreaked havoc

    News
  • 9 hours ago

    Scientists make surprising discovery at what lies under Antarctic ice sheet after its been covered in ice for 34 million years

    It could help scientists predict the future of the ice sheet

    News
  • 10 hours ago

    Paedophile to be surgically castrated after raping girl, 6, in nation's shock new punishment tactic

    It comes a year after a law was passed in Madagascar permitting the controversial punishment

    News
  • 10 hours ago

    Scientists think they've worked out what unknown interstellar object in our solar system is

    It came from outside our own solar system

    News
  • Everything you need to know about Troye Sivan's 2024 Australian tour
  • Here's what you need to know about The Voice now we know when the referendum date is
  • Doctor shares what it means if you always need to poo immediately after you eat
  • Relationship expert reveals what you should never say to a potential partner if you want them to like you