Australian Regulators Open Investigations On Cyber Attacks In Optus

The Australian government has a cyberattack on Optus. (photo: twitter @optus)

JAKARTA - Two Australian regulators said on Tuesday, October 11 that they had opened an investigation into Optus, telecommunications provider No. 2 in the country, following a system breach that resulted in theft of personal data of up to 10 million accounts.

The investigation only added to headaches for Optus, who revealed a violation on September 22 and has since come under heavy criticism from the government and the public for not preventing such massive cyberattacks from occurring.

The Australian Information Commissioner's Office (OAIC) said it was investigating whether the Singapore Telecommunications Ltd (Sintel) company was taking reasonable steps to protect customer data and comply with privacy laws.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) said it was investigating whether Optus fulfilled its industrial obligations as a telecommunications provider in terms of storing and disposing of personal data.

Amid the widespread impact, the federal government has signaled it will overhaul data security laws to force companies that have cyberattacks to notify banks of potential compromised customers. Several law firms are also considering filing a class action lawsuit.

OAIC said in a statement if it found that "disturbs with privacy one or more individuals have occurred", it could force Optus to take steps to ensure those violations cannot be repeated.

The agency added that they found there was a violation of Australian privacy laws, they could ask for civil penalties of up to 2.2 million Australian dollars per violation.

ACMA chairman Nerida O'Loughlin said in a statement cited by Reuters that the telecommunications provider's failure to protect customer information "has significant consequences for all involved".

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman Gina Cass-Gottlieb told parliament that regulators received 600 calls a day from people concerned about Optus violations, though the consequences were few to be deceived.