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Optus, a large telecommunications company in Australia, recently fell victim to an extensive cyber hack that may have put the personal information of millions of Australians at risk—a search is still ongoing for the person responsible.
It is still unclear who is responsible for the Optus cyberattack, but it is unmistakable that they are still at large. The hackers have been able to avoid detection by frequently changing their IP addresses, making it difficult to track them down.
When asked to comment on the Optus breach, Hugh Raynor, Senior Cybersecurity Consultant at SureCloud, said: “It seems that the attack on Optus happened because of a vulnerability or misconfiguration in its perimeter infrastructure. More specifically, one of its firewalls wasn’t configured properly.”
“At the moment, we don’t know too much about this attack. However, it does appear to use a slightly different method than many other attacks that have been happening lately. These recent attacks have focused on social engineering approaches, such as what happened with Uber and Revolut.”
“It seems that these attacks are only meant to collect data. It’s exceptionally tough for hackers to gain access to an organization and steal money or payment data. It’s also easier to access user information in the age of big data. By stealing data, attackers can sell or use it to commit more cyber-attacks on individuals through phishing or malware emails. They could even go as far as identity fraud.”
The attack has put the personal information of millions of Australians at risk, as the hacker was able to gain access to names, addresses, dates of birth, email addresses and phone numbers. However, no credit card or banking details were compromised.
The Ministry of Defence has been brought in to help with the investigation, working tirelessly to track down the person responsible.
“This was a sophisticated and well-planned attack, and we are working around the clock to track down the person responsible,” said Minister for Defence Hon Richard Marles MP.
“We are leaving no stone unturned in our efforts to find the person responsible and bring them to justice.”
Optus has set up a dedicated website for customers to check whether the hack has impacted their personal information.
The incident highlights the importance of cyber security and the need for companies to be vigilant in protecting their customer data. It also serves as a reminder that no one is safe from the threat of cybercrime.
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