CNN
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Australian airline Qantas says that a data hack on Monday released the personal information of six million customers and predicts the amount stolen is “important.”
The hack has permeated the third-party customer service platform used by Qantas contact centres, the airline said in a statement Wednesday. Six million customers have service records on the platform. You will find data such as your name, email address, phone number, date of birth, and frequent flyer numbers.
However, the platform does not include customer credit card details, financial information or passport details, Qantas said.
Qantas has detected “abnormal activity” on the platform and then took action and stated that it “contained” the system. The statement states that all Qantas systems are safe and have no impact on the company’s operations or safety.
The airline “expects that to be important,” but it is not clear how much data has been stolen. We are currently working to support affected customers and work with Australian Cybersecurity Centre, the Australian Federal Police and independent cybersecurity experts on investigations.
“We sincerely apologize to our customers and recognize the uncertainty this causes. Our customers trust us with their personal information and take that responsibility seriously,” Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson said in a statement.
“We are reaching out to customers today and our customers are focused on providing them with the support they need.”
Qantas stock price fell 3.5% in morning trading and fell against an increase of 0.4% in broader markets, according to Reuters.
Australia has seen a series of major cyberattacks and company hacking in recent years. In 2019, the cyberattack targeted Australian rulings and opposition parties within three months of the national election. Two years later, broadcaster Nine News suffered from cyberattacks and forced many live shows to air. It is known as the largest cyberattack by media companies in Australia’s history.
Most recently, in 2022, Russian cybercriminals carried out a ransomware attack against Medibank, one of Australia’s largest private insurance companies. Sensitive personal data, including health claim information, was stolen from 9.7 million customers. Some of it was later released on the dark web.
Last year, Australia publicly appointed and imposed sanctions on Russian citizens for his alleged role in the attack. He was a suspect in Russian ransomware gangster Liville, previously launched massive attacks in the US and elsewhere before Russian authorities destroyed them in 2022 and detained multiple people.
