How a massive data breach has exposed Australia

[elsiegee40]

Optus: How a massive data breach has exposed Australia https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-63056838

 

[Brax]

That is shocking! Why do they even need that data in the first place let alone hold it for 6 years?!

[Koldov]

That is shocking! Why do they even need that data in the first place let alone hold it for 6 years?!

 

Seriously!

 

"Australia's second biggest telecoms provider said current and former customers' data was stolen - including names, birthdates, home addresses, phone and email contacts, and passport and driving licence numbers"

 

...snip...

 

"It also emerged some customers' Medicare details - government identification numbers that could provide access to medical records - had also been stolen, something Optus did not previously disclose."

 

Australian person: 'Hi, I'd like a phone contract please'

 

Optus: 'Sure let me just get your birthdate, home address, phone and email contact, passport and driving licence number and government identification number'

 

Australian person: 'Sure, no problem'...

 

Probably an over simplification, but still...

 

[jthompson]

A lot of that data is probably held due to legal obligations on telcos. I fully expect that the nothing to hide argument was deployed at some point in the past, and is now coming home to roost.

[FN-GM]

My partner was impacted and she hasn’t been a customer of theirs for many years.

 

What really gets me with this is that they weren’t hacked. They had made an API that was wide open to the internet with No Authentication!