The Australian government, in response to the sharing of private information, has reiterated its position that it will not negotiate with cybercriminals or pay ransom demands.
Following a significant cyber attack earlier in the summer, hacker collective Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters have reportedly released the data of five million Qantas customers onto the dark web, following the passing of a deadline set by the group.
Australia’s largest airline, Qantas is one of 40 global organisations known to have been compromised by a targeted attack on a Salesforce database. It is understood that information such as email addresses, phone numbers, birth dates and frequent flyer numbers have been affected, however, the stolen data does not appear to include credit card details, financial information or passport details.
After the breach Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters published a ransom note on a dark web data leaks site demanding payment in lieu of sharing the stolen information. The Australian government has made clear its position, that under no circumstances will it engage with cybercriminals or negotiate ransom demands.
In a post, the group said that the data was now “leaked”, adding, “Don’t be the next headline, should have paid the ransom”. Other organisations caught up in the hack include IKEA, Adidas, Disney and Vietnam Airlines, among others.
On Sunday, Transport Minister Catherine King revealed that she was one of the Australians whose data had been released on the dark web. She urged companies and individuals to be more vigilant and emphasised the importance of changing passwords, enabling two-factor verification and never clicking on links in emails from unknown sources.
Cyberattacks targeting airlines are not uncommon. In September of this year passengers in a number of European airports, for example in Dublin and Cork, had their travel plans disrupted after a cyberattack affected check-in and baggage systems. Airports in Brussels, Berlin and London were also impacted.
The attack targeted ‘Muse’ (multi-user system environment), which is a software tool made by Collins Aerospace and provides a range of aircraft technologies, including baggage tagging and handling.
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