Security News > 2022 > September > Hacker Behind Optus Breach Releases 10,200 Customer Records in Extortion Scheme

The Australian Federal Police on Monday disclosed it's working to gather "Crucial evidence" and that it's collaborating with overseas law enforcement authorities following the hack of telecom provider Optus.

"Operation Hurricane has been launched to identify the criminals behind the alleged breach and to help shield Australians from identity fraud," the AFP said in a statement.

The threat actor behind the breach also briefly released a sample of 10,200 records from the breach - putting those users at heightened risk of fraud - in addition to asking for $1 million as part of an extortion demand.

Optus, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Singtel, is estimated to have over 10 million subscribers as of December 2019.

Although Optus has not yet confirmed how many customers may have been impacted by the breach, it said the unauthorized access could have exposed their names, dates of birth, phone numbers, email addresses, and, for a subset of customers, addresses, ID document numbers such as driver's license or passport numbers.

Optus customers are recommended to take steps to secure their online accounts, primarily bank and financial services, as well as monitor them for any suspicious activity and be on the lookout for potential scams and phishing attempts.

News URL

https://thehackernews.com/2022/09/hacker-behind-optus-breach-releases.html