Cybersecurity is important for all businesses, mostly because you don’t want to end up like Qantas, which was reportedly contacted by the hackers who possibly stolen personal data from six million customers.
With data breaches estimated to cost businesses somewhere in the ballpark of $10 million, it’s understandable that cybersecurity measures are taken across the industry to mitigate them.
Unfortunately, there’s only so much you can do sometimes, with the recent Qantas hack perpetrated by those taking advantage of human error rather than high-tech solutions.
Qantas Contacted by Possible Data Thieves
Last week, Australian airline Qantas reported a data breach that saw the personal information of up to six million customers put in jeopardy.
Even worse, the company was substantially secured for this kind of attack. However, the hackers focused their efforts on representatives at an offshore IT call center, allowing them to access a third-party system and steal the data.
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Now, the company has announced that they have been contacted by a group claiming to be responsible for the attack. Little details are available at this time, though, as the company announced that it has “engaged the Australian Federal Police and won’t be commenting any further on the detail of the contact.”
What Was Stolen in the Breach?
The good news about the breach is that extremely valuable personal information wasn’t stolen. Qantas specified that no credit card, passport, and financial details have been leaked.
On top of that, there’s a chance that none of the stolen data has even been released, which would be a welcomed surprise for its millions of frequent fliers. Still, that could change, according to Qantas.
“There is no evidence that any personal data stolen from Qantas has been released but, with the support of specialist cybersecurity experts, we continue to actively monitor.” – Qantas spokesperson
The bad news is that some valuable information was definitely stolen, including names, dates of birth, emails, and frequent flyer numbers, and it could still end up on hacker forums in the near future.
How to Protect Your Business From Breaches
In 2025, cybersecurity needs to be a priority for your business. The kinds of attacks like the one on Qantas are only getting more and more advanced, particularly with AI providing the tools to create audio, photo, and video of just about anything.
Unfortunately, that isn’t the case for most businesses. In fact, recent data has shown that businesses are failing when it comes to addressing the cybersecurity needs of their businesses, opting for reactive measures rather than preventative tools.
So, what can you do? Security tools like VPNs and advanced measures like two-factor authentications are a good place to start, but given the chance for human error to play a major role in a breach, security training is going to be an absolute must. Inform your team, so that they don’t end up leaking data that could jeopardize the company.
