Australian airline Qantas revealed a cyber attack has compromised up to six million customer profiles, while assuring minimal operational disruption.
**Qantas Cyber Incident Affects Six Million Customer Accounts**
**Qantas Cyber Incident Affects Six Million Customer Accounts**
A major data breach has impacted Qantas, raising concerns over customer data security.
In a concerning development for Qantas Airlines, a recent cyber breach has potentially involved the sensitive data of approximately six million customers. The attack was detected on June 30, where "unusual activity" surfaced on a third-party customer service platform that stores vital customer information such as names, email addresses, phone numbers, birth dates, and frequent flyer details.
Following the discovery, Qantas promptly initiated containment measures to secure the affected system. Although an ongoing investigation is in progress to determine the full impact of the breach, initial assessments indicate that a substantial amount of data may have been compromised. Importantly, the airline noted that no passport numbers, credit card information, or personal financial details were affected in this incident, and that frequent flyer accounts, along with their associated passwords and PINs, remain secure.
Qantas has informed the Australian Federal Police and is cooperating with the Australian Cyber Security Centre and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner regarding this breach. Vanessa Hudson, CEO of Qantas Group, issued an official apology to customers and acknowledged the anxiety that such incidents can create. She reassured the public that there would be no operational disruptions or safety concerns for the airline.
This latest breach comes amid a troubling rise in data compromises across Australia, with recent months seeing significant incidents at major organizations like AustralianSuper and Nine Media. Statistics released by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner indicate that 2024 marked a record year for data breaches in Australia since tracking began in 2018. Carly Kind, Australian Privacy Commissioner, emphasized the growing threat of cyber incidents and urged both private companies and public entities to enhance security measures, highlighting the ongoing vulnerabilities across all sectors.
