Qantas Confirms Data Breach Affecting Up to Six Million Customers

In a recent announcement, Qantas, Australia's flagship airline, confirmed that a cyber-attack had compromised the personal data of approximately six million customers, including names, email addresses, and phone numbers. On June 30, the airline became aware of "unusual activity" on a platform utilized by its customer service contact center, which houses sensitive customer information. In response, Qantas took immediate action to contain the incident and is currently investigating the scope of the data breach.

The airline assured its customers that sensitive information, such as passport details and credit card information, was not at risk, and that no frequent flyer accounts or passwords had been accessed during the breach. Qantas has reported the incident to the Australian Federal Police, the Australian Cyber Security Centre, and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. Vanessa Hudson, the CEO of Qantas Group, publicly apologized for the breach and reassured customers that the airline's operations and safety measures remain unaffected.

This incident is part of an alarming trend of data breaches in Australia, with businesses like AustralianSuper and Nine Media facing similar issues recently. According to statistics from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), 2024 has recorded the highest number of data breaches in Australia since the monitoring began in 2018. Australian Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind emphasized the ongoing threat of cyber-attacks and urged all sectors to enhance their security measures to protect sensitive data.