Sydney: Australia’s flagship carrier, Qantas Airways, has revealed that customer information stolen in a cyberattack this past July has been released by hackers, marking one of the nation’s most high-profile data breaches in recent years. The airline confirmed that the breach compromised sensitive personal details of over a million customers, including phone numbers, birth dates, and home addresses, while another four million had their names and email addresses accessed.
The airline said the breach occurred via a third-party platform, and the stolen data was published after the hackers’ ransom deadline elapsed. The hacker collective reportedly behind the release is known as Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters, although Qantas declined to comment directly on the group’s involvement.
Qantas has secured an injunction from the New South Wales Supreme Court aimed at preventing the stolen data from being accessed, viewed, released, or used by any third parties. “With the help of specialist cybersecurity experts, we are investigating what data was part of the release,” the airline stated, emphasizing its ongoing efforts to mitigate the fallout and protect affected customers.
The July breach represents Australia’s most significant cyberattack since major incidents targeted telecommunications giant Optus and health insurer Medibank in 2022, events that led to mandatory cyber resilience laws. The airline assured customers that no financial information was compromised and is working closely with cybersecurity specialists and law enforcement agencies to understand the full scope of the data release.
This incident underscores the growing vulnerability of companies handling vast amounts of personal data and highlights the urgent need for robust cybersecurity measures, timely responses, and legal safeguards to protect customer information from increasingly sophisticated cybercriminals.
The investigation into the Qantas breach is ongoing, as authorities and cybersecurity teams continue to assess the data released and reinforce measures to prevent further unauthorized access.