In 2022, companies in Australia were the victims of multiple cyber-attacks. These cyber-attacks have caused many Australians to have information about their bank accounts, health practices, and other sensitive information leaked to the public.
Unfortunately, cyber-attacks are a large problem worldwide that everyone must stay cautious about. The best way to learn about cyber-attacks is to look at the largest cyber-attacks in the world and learn from those situations.
Please continue reading to learn about the biggest cyber-attacks in Australia during 2022. We will discuss everything that happened during these cyber-attacks so you know how to avoid these problems.
What is a Cyber-Attack
Cybercriminals use cyber-attacks to leak information, destroy computer networks, and attach themselves to personal databases. Some cyber criminals cyber-attack to gain financial information, and others cyber-attack to dox personal info. No matter the reason, these attacks are malicious and can cause great damage to everybody involved.
Suppose you have an Internet connection and must be aware of the most common cyber-attacks to keep yourself safe. These attacks can happen on a larger or smaller scale, so you must protect your information, whether you are a large company or an individual.
How To Avoid Cyber Attacks
There are multiple ways cybercriminals use cyber-attacks to gain personal information. Follow these tips to avoid cyber-attacks and keep your data safe.
- Use two-factor authentication on every account to make it harder for cybercriminals to access personal information.
- Use different passwords for every account you have so that if one gets hacked, other accounts remain safe.
- Keep your software up to date.
- Don’t follow any suspicious links.
- If you own a business, keep your employees informed about cyber-attacks.
If you follow all of these tips, cybercriminals will have difficulty infiltrating your information. Whether you own a business or are an individual, you must keep information safe. Cyber-attacks can be detrimental to business owners and gain a bad reputation in the community.
Optus
The Optus cyber-attack affected over ten million Australian citizens. Customer information was leaked, and this information included identification cards. Some identification cards leaked were outdated, but many were still valid. This made many Australian citizens feel uncomfortable and violated due to a data leak they could not control.
What Happened?
This data breach occurred because Optus did not secure customer information and data online. They used an application programming interface that didn’t require authorization to access customers’ private and personal information. The person that conducted the cyber-attack on this company requested a ransom amount, or they would leak the data.
Optus did not entertain the ransom idea, so customer information was leaked online using a text file. Cybercriminals used rotating IP addresses to disguise their information and stay anonymous during the cyber-attack.
Medibank
Medibank, Australia’s largest insurance company, had its customers’ information leaked online. Several unsuspecting Australian citizens were taken aback when their insurance company’s security was compromised, and their personal information was leaked. There is talk of a class action lawsuit against Medibank because of this situation.
What Happened?
Medibank’s information was compromised when cybercriminals targeted an individual with privileged access to this company’s private information. Cybercriminals sold this individual’s information to someone who purchased it and accessed the information of Medibank customers. After that, everyone with insurance through this company experienced a data breach.
Telstra
Telstra, Australia’s largest telecoms company, experienced a data breach in 2022. However, unlike the other data breaches on this list, no customer information was leaked to the public. This is a big relief to Australian citizens who’ve already encountered many data breaches over the past year.
What Happened?
Telstra did not experience a data breach directly. One of the third-party suppliers was the victim. However, due to the data breaches over the past year in Australia, many citizens were concerned and upset by this news. Fortunately, no customer information was breached during this data situation.
Woolworths
Woolworths experienced a cyber-attack in 2022 that caused millions of customers to lose their private information. Cybercriminals accessed customer information available on the MyDeal website.
What Happened?
A Woolworths employee had their credentials compromised, leading to the information leak on MyDeal.
Energy Australia
EnergyAustralia is yet another company that had information leaked online about their customers. Over 300 customers of this electric company and thus their information through this data breach. that breach of information occurred through the customer portal in 2022.
What Happened?
EnergyAustralia had their data lead due to two servers getting exploited online. Unauthorized access was granted to an individual who stole the information and leaked it online. Some of the information leaked included customers’ personal information and credit cards.
Costa Group
Costa Group is an Australian produce supplier that was hacked in 2022. Thousands of people lost their information during this cyber-attack. Customers had to change their card information and figure out which other information was leaked to protect themselves.
What Happened?
Costa Group was the victim of a phishing scam when one of its employees clicked on an unreliable link. Phishing scams are a common way to gain personal information by imitating the e-mail address of a reputable company.
Australian Defence Contractor ForceNet
Over 4000 personal records were leaked during the ForceNet hack in 2022. People expected this defense organization to have higher security measures that wouldn’t make them victims of a cyber-attack. Australians were distressed to discover that even government organizations were hacked in 2022.
What Happened?
Cybercriminals got information on the ForceNet platform by installing ransomware on employee devices. Ransomware is a common way for cyber criminals to gain personal information and use it against people.
Final Thoughts
It’s important to keep up with that breaches in your country to ensure your personal information is safe. Australia is a prime example of a country that has experienced several data breaches this year, but these breaches can happen to any country. So, even if you practice safe Internet use, your personal information can get leaked by one of the companies you use for electricity, health insurance, or anything else.
