Qantas Contacts Cyber Criminal After Data Breach Affecting Six Million Customers
Australia’s Qantas has confirmed that a cyber criminal reached out to the airline one week after a major data breach exposed personal information of six million customers. The breach involved a hacker targeting a call centre and accessing a third-party customer service platform containing sensitive details including names, emails, phone numbers, birth dates, and frequent flyer numbers, a Qantas spokesperson told Reuters on Tuesday.
The airline has engaged the Australian Federal Police in the investigation and declined to provide further details on the contact due to the ongoing criminal matter. While there is currently no evidence that the stolen data has been leaked publicly, Qantas is actively monitoring the situation with cyber security experts.
This breach marks one of the most significant cyber attacks in Australia since the 2022 incidents involving telecommunications provider Optus and health insurer Medibank, which led to the introduction of mandatory cyber resilience laws.
The incident poses a challenge for Qantas as it works to restore public confidence after its reputation suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic due to operational disruptions and criticism.