Latest news with #MatthewWarren
The Advertiser
15-07-2025
- Business
- The Advertiser
Direct route for scammers as Qantas hack scale revealed
Scammers could have a direct route to devising targeted scams for millions of Qantas customers in coming months as the airline reveals exactly what personal data was exposed in a major cyber attack. Australia's largest airline on Wednesday disclosed details of the 5.7 million customer records impacted when a third-party system used by an offshore call centre was hacked. Of those, the names, email addresses and frequent flyer details of four million customers were exposed. The remaining 1.7 million customers had more data taken, including their names, email addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, personal or business addresses, gender and meal preferences. In total, about 10,000 meal preferences were accessed. A cybersecurity expert warned compromising such personal information was a "good starting point" for scammers to target individuals. "I see this as stage one of the continuous Qantas situation," RMIT University's Matthew Warren told AAP. Scam attempts would likely start with people impersonating Qantas staff in the weeks and months to come as criminals tried to gain financial or passport details, he said But the attempts could become more targeted from there, including business invoice scams, especially if the information was distributed widely on the dark web. Qantas maintains there is no evidence so far any stolen personal data has been released. Professor Warren said it was only a matter of time before the hackers published the data but they would likely try to hold Qantas to ransom first. "If the data is then sold on the dark net, you're then going to get other groups spending a lot more time trawling through the data and trying to identify possible ways to undertake scams," he said. Qantas has begun individually notifying almost six million customers which of their specific personal details have been exposed in the attack. The airline previously said a possible cybercriminal had contacted it about the hack, but would not confirm whether a ransom demand had been received. Australian Federal Police investigators are also probing the breach. Sydney-based customer Nick Allison received an email on Wednesday morning notifying him that his name, frequent flyer number and tier were exposed in the cyber raid. Mr Allison, who was also embroiled in the 2022 Optus and 2023 Dymocks hacks, is worried about a rise in phishing attempts as a result of his data being exposed. "Is it going to be every single email that I get sent for the rest of my life from Qantas? Is that a scam? Is that real?" he said. "How am I going to know? They've got all that data." Mr Allison said he had lost some trust in Qantas in the wake of the hack. "It makes me very hesitant to give Qantas more information in the future. Is it going to get lost?" he said. As the scam risk grows, customers are being urged to remain alert to emails, text messages or phone calls if the sender purports to be from Qantas. "Regularly review your compromised accounts and other linked accounts for unusual activity," cybersecurity technology firm McAfee's Tyler McGee said. The identity of the group responsible for the attack remains a mystery, although multiple experts believe it is the work of Scattered Spider, a cabal of young cybercriminals living in the US and the UK. Qantas said it had set up extra cybersecurity measures to protect customer data. Scammers could have a direct route to devising targeted scams for millions of Qantas customers in coming months as the airline reveals exactly what personal data was exposed in a major cyber attack. Australia's largest airline on Wednesday disclosed details of the 5.7 million customer records impacted when a third-party system used by an offshore call centre was hacked. Of those, the names, email addresses and frequent flyer details of four million customers were exposed. The remaining 1.7 million customers had more data taken, including their names, email addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, personal or business addresses, gender and meal preferences. In total, about 10,000 meal preferences were accessed. A cybersecurity expert warned compromising such personal information was a "good starting point" for scammers to target individuals. "I see this as stage one of the continuous Qantas situation," RMIT University's Matthew Warren told AAP. Scam attempts would likely start with people impersonating Qantas staff in the weeks and months to come as criminals tried to gain financial or passport details, he said But the attempts could become more targeted from there, including business invoice scams, especially if the information was distributed widely on the dark web. Qantas maintains there is no evidence so far any stolen personal data has been released. Professor Warren said it was only a matter of time before the hackers published the data but they would likely try to hold Qantas to ransom first. "If the data is then sold on the dark net, you're then going to get other groups spending a lot more time trawling through the data and trying to identify possible ways to undertake scams," he said. Qantas has begun individually notifying almost six million customers which of their specific personal details have been exposed in the attack. The airline previously said a possible cybercriminal had contacted it about the hack, but would not confirm whether a ransom demand had been received. Australian Federal Police investigators are also probing the breach. Sydney-based customer Nick Allison received an email on Wednesday morning notifying him that his name, frequent flyer number and tier were exposed in the cyber raid. Mr Allison, who was also embroiled in the 2022 Optus and 2023 Dymocks hacks, is worried about a rise in phishing attempts as a result of his data being exposed. "Is it going to be every single email that I get sent for the rest of my life from Qantas? Is that a scam? Is that real?" he said. "How am I going to know? They've got all that data." Mr Allison said he had lost some trust in Qantas in the wake of the hack. "It makes me very hesitant to give Qantas more information in the future. Is it going to get lost?" he said. As the scam risk grows, customers are being urged to remain alert to emails, text messages or phone calls if the sender purports to be from Qantas. "Regularly review your compromised accounts and other linked accounts for unusual activity," cybersecurity technology firm McAfee's Tyler McGee said. The identity of the group responsible for the attack remains a mystery, although multiple experts believe it is the work of Scattered Spider, a cabal of young cybercriminals living in the US and the UK. Qantas said it had set up extra cybersecurity measures to protect customer data. Scammers could have a direct route to devising targeted scams for millions of Qantas customers in coming months as the airline reveals exactly what personal data was exposed in a major cyber attack. Australia's largest airline on Wednesday disclosed details of the 5.7 million customer records impacted when a third-party system used by an offshore call centre was hacked. Of those, the names, email addresses and frequent flyer details of four million customers were exposed. The remaining 1.7 million customers had more data taken, including their names, email addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, personal or business addresses, gender and meal preferences. In total, about 10,000 meal preferences were accessed. A cybersecurity expert warned compromising such personal information was a "good starting point" for scammers to target individuals. "I see this as stage one of the continuous Qantas situation," RMIT University's Matthew Warren told AAP. Scam attempts would likely start with people impersonating Qantas staff in the weeks and months to come as criminals tried to gain financial or passport details, he said But the attempts could become more targeted from there, including business invoice scams, especially if the information was distributed widely on the dark web. Qantas maintains there is no evidence so far any stolen personal data has been released. Professor Warren said it was only a matter of time before the hackers published the data but they would likely try to hold Qantas to ransom first. "If the data is then sold on the dark net, you're then going to get other groups spending a lot more time trawling through the data and trying to identify possible ways to undertake scams," he said. Qantas has begun individually notifying almost six million customers which of their specific personal details have been exposed in the attack. The airline previously said a possible cybercriminal had contacted it about the hack, but would not confirm whether a ransom demand had been received. Australian Federal Police investigators are also probing the breach. Sydney-based customer Nick Allison received an email on Wednesday morning notifying him that his name, frequent flyer number and tier were exposed in the cyber raid. Mr Allison, who was also embroiled in the 2022 Optus and 2023 Dymocks hacks, is worried about a rise in phishing attempts as a result of his data being exposed. "Is it going to be every single email that I get sent for the rest of my life from Qantas? Is that a scam? Is that real?" he said. "How am I going to know? They've got all that data." Mr Allison said he had lost some trust in Qantas in the wake of the hack. "It makes me very hesitant to give Qantas more information in the future. Is it going to get lost?" he said. As the scam risk grows, customers are being urged to remain alert to emails, text messages or phone calls if the sender purports to be from Qantas. "Regularly review your compromised accounts and other linked accounts for unusual activity," cybersecurity technology firm McAfee's Tyler McGee said. The identity of the group responsible for the attack remains a mystery, although multiple experts believe it is the work of Scattered Spider, a cabal of young cybercriminals living in the US and the UK. Qantas said it had set up extra cybersecurity measures to protect customer data. Scammers could have a direct route to devising targeted scams for millions of Qantas customers in coming months as the airline reveals exactly what personal data was exposed in a major cyber attack. Australia's largest airline on Wednesday disclosed details of the 5.7 million customer records impacted when a third-party system used by an offshore call centre was hacked. Of those, the names, email addresses and frequent flyer details of four million customers were exposed. The remaining 1.7 million customers had more data taken, including their names, email addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, personal or business addresses, gender and meal preferences. In total, about 10,000 meal preferences were accessed. A cybersecurity expert warned compromising such personal information was a "good starting point" for scammers to target individuals. "I see this as stage one of the continuous Qantas situation," RMIT University's Matthew Warren told AAP. Scam attempts would likely start with people impersonating Qantas staff in the weeks and months to come as criminals tried to gain financial or passport details, he said But the attempts could become more targeted from there, including business invoice scams, especially if the information was distributed widely on the dark web. Qantas maintains there is no evidence so far any stolen personal data has been released. Professor Warren said it was only a matter of time before the hackers published the data but they would likely try to hold Qantas to ransom first. "If the data is then sold on the dark net, you're then going to get other groups spending a lot more time trawling through the data and trying to identify possible ways to undertake scams," he said. Qantas has begun individually notifying almost six million customers which of their specific personal details have been exposed in the attack. The airline previously said a possible cybercriminal had contacted it about the hack, but would not confirm whether a ransom demand had been received. Australian Federal Police investigators are also probing the breach. Sydney-based customer Nick Allison received an email on Wednesday morning notifying him that his name, frequent flyer number and tier were exposed in the cyber raid. Mr Allison, who was also embroiled in the 2022 Optus and 2023 Dymocks hacks, is worried about a rise in phishing attempts as a result of his data being exposed. "Is it going to be every single email that I get sent for the rest of my life from Qantas? Is that a scam? Is that real?" he said. "How am I going to know? They've got all that data." Mr Allison said he had lost some trust in Qantas in the wake of the hack. "It makes me very hesitant to give Qantas more information in the future. Is it going to get lost?" he said. As the scam risk grows, customers are being urged to remain alert to emails, text messages or phone calls if the sender purports to be from Qantas. "Regularly review your compromised accounts and other linked accounts for unusual activity," cybersecurity technology firm McAfee's Tyler McGee said. The identity of the group responsible for the attack remains a mystery, although multiple experts believe it is the work of Scattered Spider, a cabal of young cybercriminals living in the US and the UK. Qantas said it had set up extra cybersecurity measures to protect customer data.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Warren drops out of PENNCREST race
Following accusations of patronizing prostitutes, PENNCREST school board candidate Matthew Warren has withdrawn from the ballot. He was one of 52 charged in connection with the Totally You Fitness Spa criminal investigation in which the fitness center was alleged to have acted as a front for commercial sex to buyers over a decade. Warren has maintained his innocence, but the state has said it can track his credit card and phone statements back to the facility from 2020 to 2024, and the criminal complaint included a confession to police in 2024 that he engaged in massages with sexual acts. After the charges were filed, there was an increase of scrutiny that Warren said ultimately drove him to stop campaigning. 'This decision was not made lightly, I've been unfairly targeted, and I refuse to allow those attacks to continue hurting the other candidates and the people I care about most,' Warren told The Meadville Tribune. 'I love my family, my friends and this community too much to let this continue.' Warren ran on Christian and family-centric values, saying that he became a Christian a few years ago. 'After becoming a Christian a few years ago, I developed a strong calling to serve — whether through public office, community involvement or simply being a light in people's lives,' he said. 'That calling hasn't changed. I still intend to serve God, serve others and give back to the community I love — but I will find other ways to do so.' Director of Elections Jessalyn McFarland confirmed that Warren submitted the required paperwork on Tuesday to be withdrawn from the ballot. Now, the Crawford County Republican Party must nominate someone to take his place on the ballot. McFarland said the party must decide by Sept. 15. Requests for comment to Mike Forbes, chairman of the party, went unreturned. Other Crawford County residents charged with patronizing prostitutes in the Totally You case include Steven Robert Test, 44, of Saegertown; Jamie Michael Bilich, 52, of Meadville; Garrett Robert Leech, 39, of Cambridge Springs; and Michael Thomas Stroud, 67, of Conneaut Lake. The preliminary hearings are set for Aug. 13 and 14 at Magisterial Judge Timothy Beveridge's office in Erie.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Guernsey cheers on Le Tissier at Euro 2025
Maya Le Tissier began her football journey at just four years old with St Martins Athletic Club [PA Media] Football fans across Guernsey are gearing up to cheer on Maya Le Tissier at live screenings of England's UEFA Women's Euro 2025 group-stage matches. Le Tissier, 23, who is believed to be the first Guernsey-born player, male or female, to represent England at a major senior tournament, now captains Manchester United. Advertisement She began her football journey at just four years old with St Martins Athletic Club. The club will be screening England v France on 5 July; England v Netherlands on 9 July and England v Wales on 13 July. Training alongside boys and coached by her father, Le Tissier stood out, eventually becoming the first female to play for Guernsey's under-16 boys' team, said Matthew Warren, from St Martins AC. He said her selection for England's Euro 2025 squad, announced on 5 June, marked a milestone not just for her career but for Guernsey sport as a whole. "To see Maya go from our local pitches to captaining Manchester United and now representing England is incredibly inspiring," he said. Advertisement "Her journey is a testament to her talent and determination, and we're proud to celebrate her achievements with the whole community." Follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to More on this story
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'Weak' security on super funds as some see $0 balance
People seeing a zero-balance in their retirement funds and those who cannot even check them are being assured their accounts are secure as superannuation managers contact members targeted in a cyber attack. Hackers have targeted hundreds of Australian superannuation accounts from funds managing more than $1 trillion in assets in a coordinated online attack using stolen passwords, with experts warning security needs to be bolstered. Hostplus, Rest, AustralianSuper and Australian Retirement Trust are among those targeted in an attack confirmed on Friday by Australia's National Cyber Security Coordinator Lieutenant General Michelle McGuinness. The nation's biggest fund AustralianSuper said hackers allegedly sought lump sum withdrawals from up to 600 accounts. Its more than 3.4 million members are struggling to log in amid high call-centre traffic and intermittent outages to online services, but some who have been able to gain access have been warned they will not like what they see. "Even though you may not be able to see your account, or you are seeing a $0 balance, your account is secure," the fund said, assuring members it is a temporary glitch. "We are working hard to resolve is as quickly as possible," it said. Cybersecurity expert Matthew Warren said multi-factor authentication, requiring uniquely generated codes in addition to entering a password, needs to be implemented for every customer. "This major cyber attack clearly highlights the weak authentication measures implemented by the Australian superannuation industry," the director of RMIT's cybersecurity centre said. Insignia Financial, which oversees brands including MLC and IOOF, said about 100 accounts on its Expand platform had been targeted, but no financial impact to customers had been detected. Rest said 8000 accounts may have had personal information accessed but no member funds were transferred. "We have already contacted impacted members to reinstate their account access and provide next steps and support," it said. While some targeted accounts were not breached, the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia revealed "a number of members" had funds stolen and would be contacted. The attack took place on the weekend, and follows rising reports of online security threats in Australia with a cyber crime reported every six minutes. Superannuation and banking firms were working with government agencies to respond to the attack, Lt Gen McGuinness said. Superannuation funds are urging members to check for signs of fraud, ensure banking and contact details are correct, and change passwords if they are not unique to their account. The superannuation industry association also confirmed members' funds had been stolen. "While the majority of attempts were repelled, unfortunately a number of members were affected," the group said in a statement. It is believed that attackers were targeting accounts that could deliver lump sum withdrawals. Government agencies would investigate, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, warning online attacks had become common. "There is an attack, a cyber attack in Australia about every six minutes," he said. The Australian Signals Directorate Annual Cyber Threat Report in 2024 revealed cyber crime reports had increased 12 per cent, with an average of 100 calls per day to the Australian Cyber Security Hotline.
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Youth football club partners with building society
A Guernsey football club dedicated to providing equal opportunities for children has agreed a long-term partnership with a major building society. Skipton International, established in Guernsey, said it was "proud" to announce the partnership with St Martin's A.C., also known as Saints. The club welcomed players aged five and above and is committed to eliminating discrimination and fostering equal opportunities for all. Aaron Walden, Skipton International's senior commercial manager, said: "We are thrilled to support Saints, a club that truly represents the values of inclusivity, teamwork, and community." Matthew Warren, Saints' director of sponsorship and fundraising, said: "This partnership is fantastic news for young footballers in Guernsey. "With Skipton International's backing, we can create even more opportunities for children to get involved, develop their skills, and most importantly, enjoy playing football." The partnership will see the launch of two youth tournaments, The Skipton Saints 7's and a minis tournament. The firm said more than 220 young players were expected to take part in the events. Follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to Stadium's first game is 'huge chapter' for island St Martin's A.C.
