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
AU Financial Review
13 hours ago
- AU Financial Review
D-Day comes for Qantas as it braces for huge fine for illegal sackings
The door will finally close on the darkest chapter in Qantas' 105-year history on Monday when the Federal Court hands the airline its multi-million dollar penalty for illegally sacking 1800 workers during the pandemic. Almost five years to the day that Qantas ground workers learned they were being outsourced, with many of them summoned to the break room to be told via video link, Justice Michael Lee is widely expected to impose the biggest fine in history for breaches of Australian industrial relations laws.
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Disgraced former MP Gareth Ward still posting online
Rapist Gareth Ward tried every last trick in the book to keep representing the confused voters of Kiama from a prison cell. Ward, who was last month found guilty of one count of sexual intercourse without consent and three counts of indecent assault against two young men, fully intended to stay on as an MP, fighting attempts to expel him from parliament in the NSW Supreme Court. When the Court of Appeal rejected Ward's last-ditch attempt to stay on, the former MP resigned hours before parliament was set to formally expel him last week, all from the comfort of his cell in Cessnock, where he is being held before a sentencing hearing next month. Despite the former MP being behind bars, Ward's Facebook page, taken down after his conviction, is back online, featuring a profile picture taken during the trial which shows him posing outside the Sydney courtroom that would later decide his fate, and cheerily waving his Akubra at the cameras. To pretty much anyone outside a cluster of towns on the South Coast, it remains a mystery how Ward was returned to parliament as an independent at the 2023 election while facing serious criminal charges that would later lead to conviction. That Facebook page provided some clues, documenting Ward's constant presence at just about every community event and relentless courting of local organisations, particularly those popular among older voters. His last post was three days before a jury convicted him. Rumours of the return of Oz are greatly exaggerated It is the perennial challenge for any media organisation in 2025 – get the youth to watch, read, subscribe and, God forbid, pay for the news.
Herald Sun
3 days 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
