In a tragic incident, several lives were lost in a Rajasthan road accident, prompting PM Modi to express grief and announce aid for the victims' families. Rajasthan: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday expressed deep sorrow over the tragic road accident in Rajasthan's Jodhpur district that
Qantas, Google, Disney Among Major Global Firms Hit By Massive Cyber Attack
Qantas, Google, Disney Among Major Global Firms Hit By Massive Cyber Attack
Australian airline Qantas said that personal data belonging to 5.7 million customers has been leaked online following a major cyberattack earlier this year. The breach, which targeted a Salesforce software platform, has also affected several global corporations, including Google, Disney, IKEA, Toyota, McDonald's, Air France and KLM.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Qantas said hackers gained access through one of its third-party customer contact centres, later identified as being operated on Salesforce systems. The compromised data includes names, email addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, and in some cases, home or business addresses, gender, and meal preferences.
The airline clarified that no credit card, passport, or financial details were impacted. “Qantas is one of a number of companies globally that has had data released by cyber criminals following the airline's cyber incident in early July," the company said.
Qantas said it had obtained a legal injunction from the Supreme Court of New South Wales to prevent the stolen data from being “accessed, viewed, released, used, transmitted or published."
However, cybersecurity expert Troy Hunt dismissed the measure as ineffective, telling AFP, “It's frankly ridiculous. It obviously doesn't stop criminals at all anywhere, and it also really doesn't have any effect on people outside of Australia."
Cybersecurity experts have linked the attack to a group known as Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters, believed to be responsible for laying siege to customer Salesforce tenants as part of a coordinated effort to steal and ransom corporate data.
The hackers reportedly demanded payment by 10 October, threatening to release the information publicly. Salesforce earlier acknowledged “extortion attempts by threat actors" targeting its systems.
Experts said the attackers used social engineering tactics, posing as company representatives to deceive employees into granting access to sensitive data. The FBI has warned of similar schemes, noting that cybercriminals impersonating IT staff have successfully tricked support workers.
“They have been very effective," Hunt said. “And it hasn't involved sophisticated exploits – they've used the oldest tricks in the book."
The breach adds to growing anxiety over cybersecurity vulnerabilities in Australia. Last year, Qantas apologised after a glitch in its mobile app exposed passenger information, while in 2023, hackers paralysed major Australian ports, disrupting nearly 40 percent of national freight trade.
Source: News18
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In a tragic incident, several lives were lost in a Rajasthan road accident, prompting PM Modi to express grief and announce aid for the victims' families. Rajasthan: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday expressed deep sorrow over the tragic road accident in Rajasthan's Jodhpur district that
4 months ago
