The “worst case scenario,” according to Optus Chief Executive Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, was that 9.8 million customers had their information compromised. However, the company was unsure exactly how many customers had their information compromised.
Customers who purchased products from Optus prior to 2017 may have been impacted by the cyberattack because Optus is obligated to preserve identity verification records for six years. The telco has in the past suggested modifying privacy legislation to allow customers to request the deletion of their data.
What details were compromised?
The Optus incident involved substantial data theft. For certain of the telco’s customers, the following data may have been compromised:
- Names
- Dates of birth
- Phone numbers
- Email addresses
- Street addresses
- Drivers licence details
- Passport numbers
Payment information and account passwords were not compromised, and “Optus has also notified key financial institutions about this matter. While we are not aware of customers having suffered any harm, we encourage customers to have heightened awareness across their accounts, including looking out for unusual or fraudulent activity and any notifications which seem odd or suspicious.” statement from the company’s officials.
The Optus data breach has resulted in the exposure of thousands of Medicare ID numbers, the business has revealed. The business claimed to have discovered 14,900 exposed valid card numbers. All of the clients who have valid Medicare cards will be notified within 24 hours, according to Optus.
Victor Dominello, the Minister for Digital Government in New South Wales, reaffirmed Optus will “definitely” cover the cost of consumers who need to change their NSW driver’s licences as a result of the cyberattack.
Mr Dominello stated that “we would be in touch with clients in the upcoming days to let them know if they needed to submit an application for a new driver’s licence or not”.
According to him, those in the state who have digital driver’s licences will receive an interim card number right away via the Service NSW app and a new plastic licence card within 10 business days.
How can you tell if your data has been compromised?
Although Optus has already informed all of its customers of the incident, this does not always mean that your data has been exposed. Optus will get in touch with you directly if there is a higher risk involved.
If you think your data has been compromised, you should get in touch with Optus using their app (here is how Optus suggests doing so) or give them a call at 133 937.
Do not click on any links you get that claim to be from Optus because the company has stated that it would not send any links by email or SMS.
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