Intro: Origin Energy admits a hack exposed 900,000 customers’ data, disclosed nearly three weeks late.
TheCyberStreet News
Sydney-based Origin Energy has confirmed that the personal information of approximately 900,000 current and former customers was stolen in a hack this month, acknowledging it took almost three weeks to publicly disclose the scale of the breach.
The company which supplies electricity and gas to nearly 5 million households and businesses across Australia, released the figure on July 28 after completing the initial phase of its forensic investigation.
As per reports, the stolen data includes names, home addresses, phone numbers, and dates of birth, along with incomplete financial details for some customers — specifically, the last four digits of credit card numbers and the last three digits of bank account numbers for those affected.
While partial rather than complete financial data, this combination is still considered valuable for identity theft and targeted phishing campaigns, since it can be paired with other leaked or purchased data to build convincing scam attempts.
In response, Origin says it has engaged cybersecurity and forensic specialists to contain the breach and reinforce its systems against further intrusion. The company has also looped in multiple Australian government bodies, including the Australian Cyber Security Centre, the National Office of Cyber Security, and the Australian Federal Police, while formally notifying the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, as required under the country’s data breach reporting obligations.
Origin has not yet disclosed how the breach occurred or whether the attackers have been identified, and further updates are expected as the investigation continues.
