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Telstra caught up in massive data breach with up to 130,000 customers affected as telecom giant explains how ‘unacceptable’ leak happened
- Details of thousands of unlisted Telstra customers have been published online
- Over 130,000 impacted customers with shared names and addresses
- The telecom giant blamed it on an internal error and apologized
Details of more than 130,000 unlisted Telstra customers have been published online as a result of an internal error.
The telecom giant is ‘in the process of contacting’ customers whose details were ‘incorrectly’ made available through Director Assistance or White Pages.
Names, addresses and phone numbers are among the details that have been released.
Details of more than 130,000 unlisted Telstra customers have been published online as a result of an internal error (stock image)
Chief Financial Officer Michael Ackland said that while the company had regulatory obligations to provide those services, there was a “misalignment” of the databases.
“(This) resulted in some customers’ names, numbers and addresses being listed when they shouldn’t have been,” Ackland said.
“This was the result of a misalignment of the databases: there was no cyber activity involved.”
Mr Ackland said that as soon as the telco found out, work began to remove identified affected customers from services.
The company is in the process of contacting each affected customer and will also offer free support through IDCARE.
“We are conducting an internal investigation to better understand how it happened and to protect ourselves from it happening again,” he said.
The telecom giant is ‘in the process of contacting’ customers whose details were ‘incorrectly’ made available via Director Assistance or the White Pages (file image)
‘Protecting the privacy of our customers is absolutely paramount, and for affected customers we understand that this is an unacceptable breach of their trust.
We are sorry that this happened and we know that we have let you down.
The incident is the latest in a series of incidents in which customer details have been released following cyberattacks, including those by Optus and medibank.
Russian cybercriminals hacked into Medibank’s customer database and stole the health records of nearly 10 million current and former customers.
Hackers have since posted the entirety of the data on the dark web, including procedures and conditions related to abortions and mental health disorders, after Medibank refused to pay a $15 million ransom.
Russian cybercriminals hacked into Medibank’s customer database and stole the health records of nearly 10 million current and former customers (file image)
Meanwhile, world experts will come up with a new cyber security strategy in a bid to make Australia the safest nation in the world, having made itself ‘unnecessarily vulnerable’.
Cyber Security Minister Clare O’Neil announced the drafting of Australia’s Cyber Security Strategy 2023-2030 at the National Press Club in Canberra on Thursday.
He also announced the expert advisory board that will develop the new strategy.
It will be chaired by former Telstra CEO Andrew Penn, and will also be led by former Air Force Chief Mel Hupfeld and the CEO of the Cooperative Cyber Security Research Center Rachael Falk.
“The cyber security strategy will help Australia engage the whole nation in the fight to protect our citizens and protect our economy,” said Ms O’Neil.