Australia mulls tougher cybersecurity laws after data breach
The Australian government says it's considering tougher cybersecurity rules for telecommunications companies after Optus the nation’s second-largest wireless carrier reported personal data of 9.8 million customers had been breached
By ROD McGUIRK
Published - Sep 26, 2022, 03:40 AM ET
Last Updated - Jun 24, 2023, 07:18 AM EDT
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The Australian government said on Monday it was considering tougher cybersecurity rules for telecommunications companies after Optus, the nation’s second-largest wireless carrier, reported personal data of 9.8 million customers had been breached.
Optus said Thursday it had become aware the day before of the cyberattack breaching details of 9.8 million people — within Australia’s population of 26 million.
In the cases of 2.8 million current and former Optus customers, the breach involved “significant amounts of personal data,” Cybersecurity Minister Clare O’Neil told Parliament.
“The breach is of a nature that we should not expect to see in a large telecommunications provider in this country,” O’Neil said.
