Cyber criminals threaten to leak Qantas customer database
A message on an encrypted messaging app, also posted to the 'Dark Web', is warning that the data will be leaked 'starting with [judges and officers]' unless a buyer pays $1 million first.
'If you are interested in buying the Qantas database, then contact us ... otherwise we will leak the entire database starting with … judges and officers first,' the message reads.
'Payment is required before data is published, overall!'
Qantas said the recent cyber threats were related to the June data breach and that it believes the same cyber criminal group has been posting threats against multiple companies.
Two weeks after the data theft, Qantas sought and received an injunction from the NSW Supreme Court to 'prevent the stolen data from being accessed, viewed, released, used, transmitted or published by anyone, including by any third parties'.
At the time, the company said it wanted 'to do all we can to protect our customers' personal information and believe this was an important next course of action'.
Since the June data breach of Qantas, some cybersecurity researchers have come to believe a second, but a related criminal group may be involved. The groups are highly fluid, share infrastructure and often impersonate each other which can make attribution difficult.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Herald Sun
5 hours ago
- Herald Sun
Qantas: Alan Joyce breaks silence at Sydney aviation conference
Former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has been given a warm reception at an aviation summit in Sydney in his first public speaking engagement since exiting the airline almost two years ago. A crowd of more than 200 aviation company executives and airline employees packed the Ilumina conference room as Mr Joyce delivered a 45-minute speech reflecting on his 36 years in the industry. Looking happy and relaxed in a blue suit and dark shirt, Mr Joyce opened with a joke about making the front page of The Australian on Thursday, saying it was great for two reasons. Firstly, he said, it highlighted the importance of aviation and, secondly, it meant 'Donald Trump hadn't done anything weird overnight'. 'It's great that I'm no longer head of the national carrier and I can make jokes like that without worrying about F-16s turning around Qantas aircraft,' he said. Much of his speech touched on his experiences at Qantas in a positive light, and he resumed his advocacy for a sustainable aviation fuel industry, and the need for better pathways for the next generation of pilots, technicians and cabin crew. He spoke of the airline industry's commitment to safety, pointing out that since jet travel began in 1959 fewer than 37,000 people had died in commercial aircraft crashes worldwide, yet every year 1.3 million people died in road accidents. 'When a plane diverts, it makes international news. Because our standard isn't 'better than cars'. It's as close to perfect as possible,' Mr Joyce said. 'We don't hide mistakes: we learn and share. This culture of continuous learning is what makes aviation safety exceptional.' He warned the nature of risks facing airlines were changing, saying mental health, supply chain shocks and climate were among the biggest threats. Mr Joyce said extreme weather was no longer seasonal, it was structural, and more crosswinds, higher-density altitudes and faster storms were changing flight operations in real time. 'Safety systems must now integrate climate intelligence. Pilots and dispatchers must expect the unexpected,' he told the spellbound crowd. 'At Sydney Airport, single-runway operations due to crosswinds used to be rare. In 2014, they happened only a few days a year. By 2024, nearly 40 days. It's a trend driven by more frequent westerlies.' He also tackled the subject of artificial intelligence, pointing out how Qantas and other airlines were using the tool for predictive maintenance to flag issues with aircraft components before they occurred, as well as for flight planning. But, Mr Joyce said there was a greater role for AI in the customer experience, and turning flashpoints such as delays, missed connections and lost bags into 'opportunities'. 'But there's a risk: as smart assistants manage more of the journey, airlines could fade into the background. If airlines don't own the customer interface in the age of AI, someone else will, and we'll become just the plumbing behind the platform,' he said. 'To avoid becoming invisible, airlines must use AI not just for efficiency but to deliver transparent, human-centred experiences.' After wrapping up his speech to a round of applause, Mr Joyce made a quick beeline for the exit, not hanging around to network with the aviation-heavy crowd. Asked how he thought Qantas was going under CEO Vanessa Hudson, Mr Joyce declined to answer. 'I'm only going to talk about what was said in the presentation today,' he said, ignoring questions about the board's decision to slash his entitlements by $9.3m. He confirmed he was keen to remain a part of the aviation industry but would not provide further details on where or in what capacity. Mr Joyce left Qantas in September 2023 after a turbulent period that saw the airline unlawfully sack 1800 ground workers and sell thousands of tickets on already cancelled flights. To date, those two matters have cost the company $240m, with Qantas yet to learn of its penalty for the unlawful outsourcing. Federal Court judge Michael Lee will deliver his decision on Monday, with the Transport Workers Union seeking the maximum fine of $121m. Originally published as Alan Joyce at home in the limelight as he hints at a return to the aviation industry
Perth Now
9 hours ago
- Perth Now
Ex-Qantas boss returns to defends his troubled legacy
Alan Joyce has returned to public life to launch an impassioned defence of his tarnished legacy as Qantas chief executive. At an aviation conference in Sydney on Thursday, Mr Joyce broke from his near two-year hiatus from the national business stage to stress the industry's need to take further steps to keep its social licence. But he skirted around his controversial, illegal sacking of more than 1800 workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in a move a court ruled was designed to curb union bargaining power in wage negotiations. Days out from Qantas copping an expected nine-figure fine for the sackings, Mr Joyce trumpeted his ability to keep the flag carrier afloat in unprecedented times. "But here's the real insight: resilience isn't a reaction … it's a decision made years in advance, often when it's uncomfortable, even unpopular," he said. "Qantas was the only major Australian airline not to go bankrupt during or after the pandemic … that wasn't luck, that was resilience." Virgin Australia hit voluntary administration in 2020 as it struggled to manage billions of dollars of debt before private equity firm Bain Capital gave the carrier a lifeline. Cash-strapped carrier Rex went into administration in 2024, while budget challenger Bonza folded. Mr Joyce seemed amused by media attention surrounding his appearance - which included being on the front page of a national newspaper - but quipped that it at least meant "Donald Trump didn't do anything weird last night". He said airlines must take more climate action, including building a sustainable aviation fuel industry to "transform the environmental footprint of flight". "If we don't, we risk losing public trust, regulatory permission and, ultimately, our social licence to operate," he said. "This isn't fringe, it's the future and it's grounded in a very human concern for sustainability and intergenerational fairness." Mr Joyce quit Qantas in September 2023 after a tumultuous end to his tenure. The airline has since agreed to set up a $120 million compensation fund for its wrongly sacked workers after reaching a deal with the Transport Workers Union. It is due to be handed a Federal Court fine for the breach on Monday. Qantas also sold tickets to cancelled flights over several years, triggering more legal turmoil and a $100 million fine after it was sued by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. The airline trimmed millions of dollars from his departing pay packet, with other executives and directors also facing a cut after the brand turbulence.
Sydney Morning Herald
13 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Alan Joyce left Qantas two years ago. Now he's defending his record
Former Qantas boss Alan Joyce is expected to defend the airline's cost-slashing strategy during the COVID crisis, while laying out the challenges for Australia's aviation industry in a speech to be delivered on Thursday afternoon. Acknowledging the 'hard and painful decisions' made by Qantas management during the pandemic lockdowns, the outspoken former airline chief executive will underscore the importance of 'resilience' for the industry, according to his speech sent to reporters ahead of delivery. The address will be Joyce's first major public comments since leaving the airline after months of controversy in late 2023. 'It's easy to forget now, but in 2020, global aviation didn't just stumble. It collapsed,' Joyce will say. 'The skies emptied. Airports became ghost towns,' with passenger demand falling by 96 per cent, he added. 'Qantas, at one point, was just 11 weeks away from running out of cash. That's not a buffer; that's staring into the abyss. But we didn't fall. We made hard and painful decisions. 'Decisions such as the sale of assets, parking aircraft in deserts, reducing operations, and 'standing down staff'. 'Qantas, at one point, was just 11 weeks away from running out of cash. That's not a buffer; that's staring into the abyss. But we didn't fall.' Alan Joyce And the end of the pandemic doesn't mean skies are bright again for the nation's airlines, he will warn in his speech.
