Australia’s Qantas has announced a serious cyberattack on a third-party call centre platform, which impacted 5.7 million customer records. Alarmingly, more than 1 million customers had sensitive personal details exposed (including phone numbers, birth dates, or home addresses) while another 4 million had just their names and email addresses accessed. CEO Vanessa Hudson emphasized that no credit card details, passwords, or passport information were compromised. Qantas has already started notifying affected customers and has put stronger cybersecurity controls in place, working closely with the Australian Federal Police and national cyber agencies.
This is one of Australia's biggest data breaches, right up there with Optus and Medibank, and it's sparking fresh worries about identity theft. Qantas is urging customers to be alert to possible phishing attempts, monitor their frequent flyer accounts, and take advantage of free identity protection support. Though no stolen data has appeared online yet, experts warn that even basic info like birthdates and phone numbers can fuel scams. The airline promises full transparency, stronger defences, and ongoing updates as the investigation continues.
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