Optus issues grovelling apology in full page ad as fewer NSW residents required to replace licences

Optus ran a full-page ad apologizing to its millions of customers whose personal information was stolen in the country’s largest data breach ever.

The telecommunications giant published the apology in newspapers and shorter versions in shopping malls, saying it regretted its 9.8 million customers affected by the hack.

“We are very sorry,” was the apology. “We are deeply sorry that a cyber attack has occurred on our watch.

“We know this is devastating and we need to work hard to regain your trust. The attack was quickly stopped and we are working closely with the authorities to understand how this attack on your privacy took place.”

The apology comes as it has been revealed that fewer NSW customers will have to change their license numbers due to stricter document verification standards.

The telecommunications giant published the fawning apology in newspapers and shorter versions in shopping centers and said it regretted its 9.8 million customers affected by the hack.

“Our priority is to prevent harm to customers,” Optus wrote in its apology.

“We are here to help and support you with any personal concern you may feel.

“We know there is a lot of information and misinformation out there, and we’ve heard your message that we need to communicate more clearly.

“That’s why we’ve now put together easily accessible materials for you to stay informed about the actions you can take at optus.com.au/support/cyberattack.”

About 16,000 Optus customers in NSW will have to have their license replaced – a figure staggeringly less than the 1.2 million in Victoria and Queensland.

NSW had introduced stricter document verification standards with new rules for passing a national Document Verification Service check, updated September 1.

The change had been in the making for the past eight years and came into effect just in time for Optus to be hacked and the customer’s personal information stolen weeks later.

The apology comes as it has been revealed that fewer NSW customers will have to change their license numbers due to stricter document verification standards (stock image)

NSW customer service and Digital Secretary Victor Dominello said the consequences would have been much worse if identification standards had not been tightened.

“The breach of Optus is terrible for everyone involved,” Mr Dominello said The Sydney Morning Herald.

‘But luckily we have digitized the driving license in NSW, which means we can react faster than others.’

The ID check requires a two-step process: the license and physical card numbers.

Residents of NSW have only had part of their license information stolen and only need to change their card number and not their license number.

About 16,000 Optus customers in NSW will have to have their license replaced – a figure staggeringly less than the 1.2 million in Victoria and Queensland (stock image)

NSW is the last state to join Western Australia, the ACT, South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory to introduce the stricter identification rules.

Victoria and Queensland do not have the strict rules with an estimated 700,000 Victorians and 500,000 Queenslanders requiring a new license number.

NSW residents may have to wait weeks for a replacement card, but can use an updated version of their digital license much sooner.

Drivers from Victoria and Queensland do not have access to digital licenses, so they will have to wait much longer to obtain their new licenses.