Approximately 9.8 million Aussie Optus customers had their personal data breached in a massive cyberattack last week. Thankfully it looks like the Federal Government is going to do something about our flimsy security systems, but some believe it’s a case of going in too hard too soon.
Per the ABC, Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil met up with some cyber security bigwigs over the weekend to discuss steps that “need to be taken in the future”.
Several changes are said to be unveiled by the Albanese government real soon. In the meantime, if you’re an Optus customer and you’re worried about your data being breached, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself.
I want to pay credit to world-class Australian government agencies such as the @asdgovau, the @cybergovau and the @ausfedpolice who are working through the night and all weekend to support our response to the attack.
— Clare O’Neil MP (@ClareONeilMP) September 24, 2022
One cybersecurity change expected to come into effect involves altering the ways in which banks can protect our data. At the moment, if a company like Optus is involved in a cyberattack, it cannot immediately inform the banks.
Changing this fact will allow the banks (and other institutions) to safeguard our money and check if any customers had their personal information thieved by cyber-crims.
Optus will also be required to hand over all personal data to the banks so that they can reportedly “upgrade” security. Sounds kinda sus but the banks probably have all of our personal data anyway.
An anonymous “senior industry figure” spoke to the ABC about their hesitancy in regards to introducing new laws so soon after the cyberattack. I mean, we barely know who was responsible.
“[We’re] satisfying regulations on impossible timelines with effectively a network built in the 1990s,” they said.
“We don’t even have a publicly verifiable chronology on how the Optus breach happened yet, the investigation isn’t done and yet somehow we’re rushing in laws — not a great plan.
“If this was a plane crash, we would let the investigators determine the cause before we decided what to do about it — that’s why flying is so safe”.
In some slightly good news, Optus Chief Executive Bayer Rosmarin said the company is not aware of anyone who’s been harmed by the cyberattack yet, but has asked customers “to have heightened awareness across their accounts”, which includes “looking out for unusual or fraudulent activity and any notifications which seem odd or suspicious.”
Stay safe out there Optus (and former Optus) friends!
