Origin Energy, Australia’s major electricity, gas, LPG and internet provider serving 4.8 million customer accounts, disclosed a data breach on Wednesday after being contacted by media outlets. The company stated that customer information including names, addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers and account details had been accessed, along with the last four digits of credit cards or final three digits of bank accounts. A person claiming responsibility for the hack reportedly told media outlets that 2 million customer records were affected, though Origin has not yet confirmed the total number of impacted customers or provided details about the breach’s cause.
Origin initially believed credit card and bank details were not accessed, but subsequently revised this assessment. The company emphasized that partial financial information alone could not be used to complete transactions or gain unauthorized account access. Chief Executive Frank Calabria apologized for the incident and stated the company was working with independent cyber experts to secure systems and prevent further unauthorized access.
Cybersecurity experts warned of potential risks to affected customers. Rumpa Dasgupta, a lecturer in cybersecurity at La Trobe University, cautioned that consolidated personal records could enable targeted phishing campaigns or physical crimes such as burglary by identifying vulnerable properties. The incident prompted concerns about identity theft and fraudulent schemes involving scammers impersonating legitimate businesses.
Multiple government agencies launched investigations into the breach, including the Australian Cyber Security Centre, Australian federal police, and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, with the National Office of Cyber Security coordinating the government response. The breach occurs amid a broader pattern of data security incidents affecting major Australian companies, including a previous breach affecting Qantas that exposed customer contact information.
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