Australian airline Qantas says hit by 'significant' cyberattack

Australian airline Qantas announced on Wednesday that it is investigating a major cybersecurity breach that exposed sensitive personal data of up to six million customers.

The airline revealed that hackers gained unauthorized access to a system operated by a third-party provider for one of its customer contact centers. The compromised platform contained details such as names, email addresses, phone numbers, and dates of birth.

In a public statement, Qantas confirmed:

“There are 6 million customers that have service records in this platform… we are continuing to investigate the proportion of the data that has been stolen, though we expect it will be significant.”

Importantly, credit card information and passport numbers were not stored in the affected system, Qantas said.

Despite the seriousness of the breach, Qantas reassured the public that flight operations and airline safety were not impacted by the incident.

Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson offered a formal apology, emphasizing that the company had reported the breach to Australia’s National Cyber Security Coordinator.

“We sincerely apologize to our customers and we recognize the uncertainty this will cause,” Hudson said. “Our customers trust us with their personal information and we take that responsibility seriously.”

The incident marks another high-profile cyberattack in Australia, raising concerns about data security practices among major corporations. Further updates are expected as Qantas continues its investigation into the full extent of the breach.