Urgent warning issued to Qantas customers after hack: How you could be targeted

Qantas customers need to remain vigilant in the coming days after a hacker targeted a third-party platform containing the personal information of millions of people.  

Names, phone numbers, dates of birth and email addresses are among the data believed to have been leaked.

In an update on Friday, Qantas said the group believed responsible for the incident remained unclear and that it had not received a ransom request.

The biggest risk for people now is that their data is used to attempt fraud or even steal their identity.

Airlines are being warned to tighten security after a hack affecting millions of Qantas customers has left the aviation giant exposed to possible legal action. 

Legal experts have suggested the incident could lead to a class action in a repeat of compensation claims lodged following major breaches at Optus and Medibank in 2022.

The hack of sensitive customer details at the health insurer could end up costing it $700million or more, analysts have said.

The primary wrongdoing was clearly with the hackers, but Qantas could still face secondary liability if it was found to have breached its duties, Monash University associate law professor Michael Duffy said.

Qantas customers have been urged to change their passwords in the wake of a major cyberattack that exposed the personal information of six million (stock)

Names, phone numbers, dates of birth and email addresses were hacked (stock image)

‘Based on previous class actions that have been taken for data breaches, there is certainly a possibility of action being taken against Qantas,’ he told AAP.

‘This issue of data and privacy breaches is not going to go away.’

The exposure of customers’ dates of birth was particularly sensitive, Assoc Prof Duffy said.

‘While exposure of names and email addresses is a concern, any exposure of dates of birth is more serious because of the potential for wrongdoers to try and use them for nefarious purposes,’ he said.

Qantas has reassured customers that their financial information, passport numbers, credit card details and frequent flyer PINs were not accessed.

It is not the first time an airline has faced a cyber attack, with America’s Hawaiian Airlines and WestJet compromised in recent weeks.

Security experts warn the hack could mean the aviation industry is being targeted.

‘Airlines hold all kinds of sensitive information, and cybercriminals are looking to take it,’ NordVPN chief technology officer Marijus Briedis said.

In an update on Friday, Qantas said the group believed responsible for the incident remained unclear and that it had not received a ransom request (pictured, a Qantas terminal in Sydney)

‘The industry needs to implement proactive, multi-layered security approaches that assume breaches will happen and focus on minimising their impact.’

There is speculation the hackers responsible for the airline attacks is Scattered Spider, a group of young cyber criminals living in the US and UK.

Security experts are concerned about the risk of follow-on scams targeting affected customers.

Macquarie University’s Dali Kaafar said the release of private details could lead to malicious actors building a more complete profile about individuals, making them more susceptible to other forms of cyber crime.

He warned Qantas customers to change their passwords and access codes to prevent potential hacks.

That was because many people used their date of birth as a PIN, but the information had now been compromised, Professor Kaafar said.

A support line has been established to provide Qantas customers with the latest information (pictured, travellers at the Qantas Departure Terminal in Sydney)

Qantas is investigating the cyber attack and its impacts, urging customers to be on high alert for future scam attempts.

Chief executive Vanessa Hudson confirmed the company was working closely with the National Cyber Security Coordinator, the Australian Cyber Security Centre and independent specialised cyber security experts.

A customer support line was established to provide customers with the latest information.

Qantas shares were slightly up on Thursday after initially shedding 3.6 per cent following news of the hack.