Australia Demands Optus to Meet Costs Of New Passports After Cyberattack

By James Glynn

SYDNEY - Australia's Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong has demanded that Optus, one of the country's largest telecommunication companies, meet the cost of replacement passports for customers affected by the theft of personal information after a massive cyberattack earlier this month.

Optus, an Australian unit of Singapore Telecommunications Ltd., last week said it first became aware of the security breach on Sep. 21, and that the attack had exposed personal information for as many as 9.8 million of its customers dating back to 2017, including names, dates of birth, health care details, phone numbers and passport numbers.

"Passport customers affected by this breach and concerned about identity fraud may choose to replace their passports," Ms. Wong said in a letter to Optus. "There is no justification for these Australians -or for taxpayers more broadly on their behalf - to bear the cost of obtaining a new passport."

The Australian Federal Police have launched an investigation on the cyberattack in conjunction with international law enforcement agencies such as the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Write to James Glynn at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 28, 2022 08:34 ET (12:34 GMT)

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