Qantas, the Australian national airline, said it has been contacted by a group claiming to be behind the cyberattack that resulted in a massive data theft involving six million of its customers.
The airline did not confirm if any ransom demands have been made.
Qantas data theft
Last Wednesday, the airline considered to be the safest in the world when it comes to flying, fell prey to a cyberattack in one of its Filipino call centres. It resulted in the theft of customers’ names, dates of birth, emails, and frequent flyer numbers. Other personal information such as credit card, passport, and financial details were not stored in the centre.
The airline said on Monday evening that “a potential cybercriminal has made contact”.
A Qantas spokesman said: “As this is a criminal matter, we have engaged the Australian Federal Police and won’t be commenting any further on the details of the contact.
“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.”
On Friday, Vanessa Hudson, Qantas Group Chief Executive Officer, said: “We know that data breaches can feel deeply personal and understand the genuine concern this creates for our customers. Right now we’re focused on providing the answers and transparency they deserve.
“Our investigation is progressing well with our cybersecurity teams working alongside leading external specialists to determine what information has been accessed. We’re finalising a process that will enable us to provide affected customers with more information about their personal information that was potentially compromised.
“We are treating this incredibly seriously and have implemented additional security measures to further strengthen our systems. I want to apologise again for the uncertainty this has caused. We’re committed to keeping our affected customers informed as our investigation progresses.”
