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Qantas Suffers Major Cyber Hack Affecting 6 Million Customer Accounts

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Australian airline Qantas revealed on Wednesday that a cyber hacker accessed a third-party customer service platform used by one of its call centres, compromising the personal data of approximately six million customers. The breach exposed names, email addresses, phone numbers, birth dates, and frequent flyer numbers, marking Australia’s most significant cyberattack in recent years.

Qantas has not disclosed the call centre’s location or the precise number of affected customers but confirmed the breach was discovered after detecting unusual activity. The airline is still investigating the full scope of the stolen data but expects it to be substantial. Importantly, Qantas stated that frequent flyer accounts, passwords, PINs, or login credentials were not accessed, and operations and safety were not impacted.

The incident occurs amid heightened cyber threats targeting airlines worldwide. The FBI recently reported that the hacker group Scattered Spider has targeted airlines such as Hawaiian Airlines and WestJet. While Qantas did not identify the attacker, cybersecurity experts warn that social engineering attacks on airline staff may be involved.

This breach brings unwelcome scrutiny to Qantas, which is recovering from a reputational crisis caused by controversies during the COVID-19 pandemic, including illegal staff layoffs and ticketing issues. Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson acknowledged the seriousness of the breach and assured customers of the airline’s commitment to protecting personal information. Authorities including the Australian Cyber Security Centre, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, and the Australian Federal Police have been notified.

Qantas shares fell 2.4% in afternoon trading, while the overall market rose.

Australia’s Teen Social Media Ban Faces a New Wildcard: Teenagers

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Australia is preparing to implement the world’s first national social media ban for users under 16, but new challenges have emerged from the very group the law aims to protect: teenagers themselves.

Thirteen-year-old Jasmine Elkin from Perth recently tested five different photo-based age verification software products, alongside about 30 other students. While impressed by some systems’ ability to estimate age to the exact month, Elkin doubts the ban’s effectiveness, noting that young users could easily bypass it by asking older siblings to take verification photos.

This concern reflects a broader worry shared by child protection advocates, tech companies, and trial organizers: the technology works, but young people are highly skilled at finding workarounds.

Starting in December, major social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok will face fines up to A$49.5 million ($32.17 million) if they fail to take “reasonable steps” to prevent users under 16 from accessing their services. Currently, these platforms require users to be at least 13 to create accounts.

How well Australia’s ban succeeds may influence other countries. Britain, France, and Singapore are pursuing similar restrictions, and several U.S. states, including Florida, are challenging free speech laws to impose age limits. Elon Musk, owner of X (formerly Twitter), has criticized the Australian law and regulatory authority, calling it a “censorship commissar.”

Trial organizers say nearly 60 products were considered, with about a dozen tested by teenagers in May. The teenagers demonstrated fast tech skills, leading organizers to increase the number of products tested and shorten testing times. The software mainly used selfies to estimate age, as other methods—such as credit card checks—were impractical for teens, and hand-gesture recognition gave imprecise age estimates near the 16-year cutoff.

The trial’s detailed results will be presented on June 20, with a full report to the government expected by the end of July. This will inform the eSafety Commissioner’s recommendations. The government has cited risks from cyberbullying, harmful body image content, and misogyny as reasons for the law.

Despite the technology’s promise, uncertainties remain about how effective it needs to be and whether it can keep pace with teenagers’ ingenuity. Some trial participants said they would find ways around blocks, while others accepted it as a step toward safer online environments.

Communications Minister Anika Wells’s spokesperson emphasized that age restrictions are “not the end-all be-all” but a positive move to protect young people online.

Google and Chile Ink Deal for Trans-Pacific Submarine Cable to Boost Digital Connectivity

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Alphabet’s Google has signed a landmark agreement with the Chilean government to deploy a 14,800-kilometer (9,196-mile) submarine data cable linking Chile with Australia and Asia. The cable is expected to be operational by 2027 and marks the first submarine cable project in the South Pacific, reinforcing Chile’s ambitions to become a regional digital hub for Latin America.

“This is an important commitment with an extraordinary strategic partner,” said Chile’s Transport Minister Juan Carlos Muñoz, emphasizing the cable’s role in improving connectivity with Asian nations, particularly China, which is Chile’s largest trading partner.

Open Access and Broader Goals

Cristian Ramos, head of telecommunications infrastructure for Alphabet’s Latin America operations, confirmed that the cable will be open for use by other entities, allowing technology firms operating in Chile to benefit from the improved infrastructure.

The cable’s deployment comes amid escalating technological competition between the U.S. and China in Latin America, with submarine cables becoming increasingly significant in their geopolitical rivalry.

Though exact costs have not been disclosed, Chilean authorities had previously estimated the project’s cost to range between $300 million and $550 million, with Chile contributing $25 million through its state-owned partner Desarrollo País.

Applications in Mining, Science, and Industry

The cable is expected to deliver a range of benefits, including better performance for Asian tech platforms like TikTok, enhanced astronomical data transmission, and improved coordination for mining operations shared between Chile and Australia.

“Mining companies with operations in both countries can consider shared command centers where teams can support each other in real-time,” noted Deputy Secretary of Telecommunications Claudio Araya.

Deployment will begin next year from the Chilean port city of Valparaiso. Chile is also evaluating an additional link connecting the cable to Argentina, further expanding the project’s regional impact.

Future Expansion and Antarctic Ambitions

The agreement could encourage similar projects connecting South America with Asia, further strengthening Chile’s digital infrastructure. Separately, Chile is planning another submarine cable project to link the southern tip of South America with Antarctica, mainly for scientific research purposes.

The partnership between Google and Chile is not only a technological milestone but also a reflection of broader strategic interests as digital infrastructure becomes central to global economic and political influence.