Qantas data breach to impact 6 million airline customers
It has assured the public that passport details, credit card details and personal financial information were not held in the breached system, and no frequent flyer accounts, passwords or PIN numbers have been compromised.Qantas has notified the Australian Federal Police of the breach, as well as the Australian Cyber Security Centre and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner."We sincerely apologise to our customers and we recognise the uncertainty this will cause," said Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson.She asked customers to call the dedicated support line if they had concerns, and confirmed that there would be no impact to Qantas' operations or the safety of the airline.
The cyber attack is the latest in a string of Australian data breaches this year, with AustralianSuper and Nine Media suffering significant leaks in the past few months.In March 2025, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) released statistics revealing that 2024 was the worst year for data breaches in Australia since records began in 2018."The trends we are observing suggest the threat of data breaches, especially through the efforts of malicious actors, is unlikely to diminish," said Australian Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind in a statement from the OAIC.Ms Kind urged businesses and government agencies to step up security measures and data protection, and highlighted that both the private and public sectors are vulnerable to cyber attacks.
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Telegraph
34 minutes ago
- Telegraph
The M&S ‘Scattered Spider' hackers are coming for your holidays
If air traffic control strikes, errant drones and climate protesters weren't enough to contend with, the aviation industry has a new antagonist threatening to grind things to a halt: hackers. This week it emerged that the secretive 'Scattered Spider' group who attacked M&S and Co-op are targeting the aviation industry. Charles Carmakal, an executive at Google's cybersecurity unit, said that his firm was 'aware of multiple incidents in the airline and transportation sector which resemble the operations [of] Scattered Spider.' Sam Rubin, of Palo Alto Networks, said his company had 'observed Muddled Libra (also known as Scattered Spider) targeting the aviation industry.' While neither Rubin nor Carmakal specified which airlines have been targeted, Hawaiian Airlines and WestJet have recently suffered cyber attacks. WestJet said the incident affected 'some services and software systems' including its app, but neither airline suffered operational disruption due to the breach. The issue is not isolated to North America. On Monday June 30, Qantas suffered a major cyber attack, reportedly compromising the personal data of up to six million customers. A spokesperson for the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) told The Telegraph: 'We are aware of rumoured activity. We are in contact with the National Cyber Security Centre and have warned our industry contacts about this group and the techniques they use.' One of the things that the CAA would have told their industry contacts is that when Scattered Spider targets an industry, the attack tends to be sustained and relentless for a period. If aviation is next in line, how could a hack play out, and what can you do to protect your holiday? Worrying potential There are a few different avenues for the hackers. One would be to target airlines' corporate infrastructure. In 2018, 380,000 British Airways customers had their credit card details stolen in a major data breach. Bookings made in a two-week window had been infiltrated in a 'very sophisticated, malicious criminal' attack, according to the airline's former CEO Alex Cruz. The airline was later fined £20m for the security breach. A second scenario is that ground systems could be targeted. In 2015, Poland's flag carrier LOT cancelled 10 flights after hackers infiltrated the computer systems that issued flight plans from Warsaw's Chopin Airport. But the scale could be much bigger than this. In 2023, the US Federal Aviation Administration's 'Notice to Airmen' (NOTAM) system suffered a three-hour outage. The result was that all flights across the US were grounded for the first time since 9/11, leaving 11,000 aircraft stuck on tarmac across the country. While this was a hardware issue, not a malicious hack, it highlights the potential impact of a sudden IT meltdown. The third, and perhaps most worrying scenario, is that in-flight systems could be infiltrated. Earlier this year, several aircraft coming into land at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington DC received false mid-air collision warnings, even though there were no other planes in the area. The pilots receiving the alerts disconnected autopilot and climbed rapidly. It is unknown whether this was caused by the deliberate, malicious 'spoofing' of airline systems, or if it was due to an error or another cause. Regardless, it is an example of how hackers could potentially enter the cockpit in the future, putting pilots into compromised scenarios. This week's Qantas data breach suggests hackers are already targeting the databases of airlines. But given the nature of Scattered Spider's previous high-profile, high-impact attacks, scenarios two or three should not be ruled out. 'Hacking groups thrive on attention, and with families about to start jetting off on their summer holidays, the potential to attack and extort an airline is irresistible,' says Matt Saunders of Adaptavist, a tech consultancy which works with major airlines. 'The good news is that a potential hacking attempt should not cause safety issues for passengers, as any safety-critical IT systems will already have a manual backup option which maintains the highest safety standards in the event of an unwelcome intrusion,' he added. How to hack-proof your holiday There are steps that we, the passenger, can take to protect ourselves from cyber attacks. Paying for your holiday with a credit card is preferable; if somebody makes unauthorised payments on your card you will be protected by the Consumer Credit Act, meaning the process of reclaiming your lost funds will be more straightforward. Regularly changing the password for your online account with an airline's website or app will also help to protect it from the rising issue of air-mile theft. And, as always, avoid booking tickets on public Wi-Fi networks which might not be encrypted, potentially putting your data at risk. When it comes to the larger scale hacking incidents, we can only rely on the strength of airline security systems – which are, by all accounts, becoming more powerful. In 2024 alone, the aviation industry spent $37bn (£27bn) on IT systems, and airports spent $9bn (£6.5bn). Around half of airlines and three quarters of airports are in the process of safeguarding data and upgrading IT systems. 'Defending against these risks requires more than perimeter controls – it demands continuous workforce education, Zero Trust principles, phish-resistant multi-factor authentication and identity verification that can't be socially engineered,' stresses Jordan Avnaim of identity security company, Entrust. Recent cyber attacks on Hawaiian, WestJet and Qantas did not affect flight operations, which should give us hope. Nevertheless, the fact that the shelves in some M&S stores were empty for six weeks and its online orders were suspended – to the sum of £300m – shows why airports, airlines and passengers should remain on high alert.
Daily Mail
43 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Read the chilling text parents were sent at daycare centre where worker is accused of vile abuse of children - as they speak out about their nightmare
A disturbing text message sent to parents whose children could have had contact with accused predator Joshua Dale Brown has been revealed. Brown has been charged with 70 offences, including sexual penetration of a child, producing child abuse material and recklessly contaminating goods to cause alarm or anxiety. The latter charge refers to alleged contamination of food with bodily fluids. His arrest triggered a public health alert, with Victoria's Chief Health Officer warning that 1,200 children should get STI testing. A mass text message was sent to families linked to childcare centres where Brown worked. One mother, whose identity is protected for legal reasons, has spoken publicly after discovering her child had attended a centre where Brown was employed. The woman received a text message and said getting further information was difficult. 'I was on hold with the Victorian Government hotline for three hours,' she told the ABC, and added she went to the centre in person and encountered a distraught staff member. 'They told me there had been a person who had been charged with sexual abuse and things related to children and that person had worked in the centre at a point in time as well,' Julie said. The message the woman and others families received urged their children, who are under the age of five, to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases. 'Thank you for speaking with me today. It is recommended your child be tested for chlamydia and gonorrhoea. Please show this message to your urgent care clinic.' it said. The woman said she was furious about how little direct communication was given, and said she only learned about the allegations when the news broke publicly. Chief Health Officer Christian McGrath acknowledged the delays but said 1300 families were supported over the phone on Tuesday. 'I should have been contacted earlier, particularly before the media release. I shouldn't be finding out off the TV,' the mother said. It was revealed on Wednesday that a second Victorian man has been charged with 45 child sex offences as part of the police investigation into Brown. Michael Simon Wilson has been charged with offences including bestiality, rape and possession of child abuse material, according to court documents seen by the ABC. It is understood Brown and Wilson are known to each other, but Wilson's charges are not connected to any childcare centre and involve different alleged victims. Federal law reforms have been flagged after the allegations were revealed, including cutting funding for childcare centres that fail to meet minimum standards. The rapid government response, however, doesn't tackle the root causes of issues in a sector where half of all educators had been working for less than three years, early education advocate Lisa Bryant said. The industry has a highly casualised and underpaid workforce and it was dominated by private operators whose motive was to make money, she said. 'The primary thing about making money is that you cut the number of educators and the quality of the educators,' Ms Bryant said. 'If you're working with the same educators and the children all know you, that's really protective. Having a lot of casuals coming through your centre is not.' Brown had worked at 20 childcare facilities since 2017. Families of children who need testing will be entitled to $5000 payments to cover the cost of parents taking leave from work, travel and other requirements. The Victorian government has ordered a child safety review. It must be completed by August 15, with making CCTV mandatory in centres a major focus. 'It's a deterrent, if nothing else,' Premier Jacinta Allan said. Wilson and Brown will both appear at Melbourne Magistrates' Court on September 15.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
‘AI doesn't know what an orgasm sounds like': audiobook actors grapple with the rise of robot narrators
When we think about what makes an audiobook memorable, it's always the most human moments: a catch in the throat when tears are near, or words spoken through a real smile. A Melbourne actor and audiobook narrator, Annabelle Tudor, says it's the instinct we have as storytellers that makes narration such a primal, and precious, skill. 'The voice betrays how we're feeling really easily,' she says. But as an art form it may be under threat. In May the Amazon-owned audiobook provider Audible announced it would allow authors and publishers to choose from more than 100 voices created by artificial intelligence to narrate audiobooks in English, Spanish, French and Italian, with AI translation of audiobooks expected to be available later in the year – news that was met with criticism and curiosity across the publishing industry. In Australia, where there are fewer audiobook companies and where emerging actors like Tudor rely on the work to supplement their incomes, there is growing concern about job losses, transparency and quality. While Tudor, who has narrated 48 books, isn't convinced that AI can do what she does just yet, she is worried that the poor quality may turn people away from the medium. 'I've narrated really raunchy sex scenes – AI doesn't know what an orgasm sounds like,' she says. 'Birth scenes as well – I'd love to know how they plan on getting around that.' According to a 2024 report by NielsenIQ Bookdata, more than half of Australian audiobook consumers increased their listening over the past five years. Internationally there was a 13% increase in US audiobook sales between 2023 and 2024; in the UK audiobook revenue shot up to a new high of £268m, a 31% increase on 2023, the Publishers Association said. As demand for audio content grows, companies are looking for faster – and cheaper – ways to make it. In January 2023 Apple launched a new audiobook catalogue of audiobooks narrated by AI. Later that year Amazon announced that self-published, US-based authors with works on Kindle could turn their ebooks into audiobooks using AI 'virtual voice' technology – and there are now tens of thousands of these computer-generated audiobooks available through Audible. And in February this year, as part of a more general shift towards audiobooks, Spotify said it would be accepting AI audiobooks to 'lower the barrier to entry' for authors hoping to find more readers. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Audible says its aims are similar: to complement, not replace, human narration, allowing more authors and more titles to reach bigger audiences. In the US Audible is also testing a voice replica for audiobook narrators, to create dupes of their own voices that will 'empower participants to expand their production capabilities for high-quality audiobooks'. 'In 2023 and 2024, Audible Studios hired more [human] narrators than ever before,' an Audible spokesperson told the Guardian. 'We continue to hear from creators who want to make their work available in audio, reaching new audiences across languages.' But robot narrators will always be cheaper than humans – and people in the voice acting and book industries fear a move to AI could pose a threat to workers. Dorje Swallow's career as a narrator took off after he began voicing novels by the Australian bestselling crime author Chris Hammer – and the actor has now narrated about 70 audiobooks. Swallow believes AI narration is a tool created by people who 'don't understand the value, technique and skills' required to produce quality audiobooks. 'We've done the hard yards and then some to get where we are, and to think you can just press a button and you're going to get something of similar, or good enough quality, is kind of laughable,' he says. Simon Kennedy, the president of the Australian Association of Voice Actors, says there has always been a battle over how much a narrator deserves to be paid in Australia. For every finished hour of an audiobook, a narrator might spend double or triple that time recording it – and that doesn't include an initial read to understand the book and its characters. Sign up to Bookmarks Discover new books and learn more about your favourite authors with our expert reviews, interviews and news stories. Literary delights delivered direct to you after newsletter promotion 'My personal opinion is that [introducing AI narrators] is going for volume over quality – and it's looking to cheapen the process,' he says. Kennedy founded the Australian Association of Voice Actors in 2024 in response to the threat being posed by AI. In a submission to a parliamentary committee last year the organisation said 5,000 Australian voice acting jobs were at risk. He was hardly surprised about Audible's announcement but says he thinks it's a 'pretty dumb move'. 'An audiobook narrator has such a special and intimate relationship with the listener that to try and do anything that is less connective is a foolish move,' he says. As for the opportunity to clone their own voices, he says voice actors should have the right to engage – but they shouldn't expect 'any near the same pay rate, and they risk turning their unique timbre – their vocal brand – into a mass-produced robot voice that listeners get sick of listening to pretty quickly.'. 'If an emotionless narration at a consistent volume is all you need for 'high-quality', then sure,' he says. 'But if engaging, gripping, edge-of-your-seat storytelling is your version of high-quality, then don't hold your breath for AI to give you that.' Another major concern is Australia's lack of AI regulation. While the EU has its own AI Act, and China and Spain have labelling laws for AI-generated content, Australia is falling behind. 'There are no laws to prevent data scraping or non-consenting cloning of voices, or of creating deepfakes of people,' Kennedy says. 'There are also no labelling laws or laws to mandate watermarking of AI-generated content and its origins; no laws to mandate transparency of training data; and no laws to dictate the appropriate use of AI-generated deepfakes, voice clones or text.' This year the Burial Rites and Devotion author, Hannah Kent, was one of many acclaimed Australian writers shocked to discover their pirated work had been used to train Meta's AI systems. She says while her initial reaction to the introduction of AI into creative spaces tends to be 'refusal and outrage', she's curious about Audible's AI announcement – specifically its plans to roll out beta testing for AI to translate text into different languages. 'I think it's fairly obvious that the main reason to use AI would be for costs, and I think that's going to cheapen things in a literal sense and cheapen things in a creative sense – in that sense of us honouring the storytelling, artistic and creative impulse,' Kent says. Tudor and Swallow believe big companies will struggle to replace human narration completely, partly because many Australian authors will oppose it. But whether or not listeners will be able to tell the difference remains to be seen. 'The foot is on the pedal to drive straight into dystopia,' Tudor says. 'Can we just listen to people instead of robots?'
