Cyber attack hits Qantas; six million customers potentially affected

Qantas Airways has reported a cyber attack targeting one of its contact centers, leading to a potential data breach affecting up to six million customers. The airline, which serves as Australia's national carrier and is a founding member of the oneworld alliance, announced that while it has managed to contain the affected system, it anticipates that a significant amount of customer data may have been compromised.

The company is currently collaborating with several agencies and experts to manage the situation. Vanessa Hudson, CEO of Qantas Group since 2023, stated, "We sincerely apologise to our customers and we recognise the uncertainty this will cause. Our customers trust us with their personal information, and we take that responsibility seriously. We are contacting our customers today, and our focus is on providing them with the necessary support."

Qantas confirmed that flight operations remain unaffected by the incident. The airline detected unusual activity on a third-party customer servicing platform yesterday and took immediate action to secure its systems. Although no financial information was compromised, personal details such as names, email addresses, phone numbers, birth dates, and frequent flyer numbers may have been accessed.