Qantas Airline Probes Cyber Attack Exposing Customer Info

Australian airline Qantas is investigating a cyber attack that compromised the personal data of approximately 6 million customers. The breach, discovered on Monday, targeted a third-party platform used by Qantas contact centre that exposed sensitive customer details.

In an official statement, Qantas said, "On Monday, we detected unusual activity on a third-party platform used by a Qantas airline contact centre. We then took immediate steps and contained the system. We can confirm all Qantas systems remain secure." The airline confirmed that the exposed data includes names, email addresses, phone numbers, and birth dates. However, financial information and passport numbers were not stored on the affected system.

Qantas has contacted affected customers to inform them of the incident, offer an apology, and provide guidance and support. The company stressed that it acted swiftly to contain the breach and that its internal systems remain secure. This incident follows a series of cybersecurity attacks in Australia. In 2024, a glitch in the Qantas mobile app inadvertently revealed some passengers' names and travel details. In 2022, Russia-based hackers breached Medibank, one of Australia's largest private health insurers, accessing data from over nine million customers.