Australian airline Qantas says hit by 'significant' cyberattack
SYDNEY

Australian airline Qantas said Wednesday it was investigating a "significant" cyberattack, after hackers infiltrated a system containing sensitive data on six million customers.
Qantas said hackers had targeted one of its customer contact centers, breaching a computer system used by a third party.
They had access to sensitive information such as customer names, email addresses, phone numbers and birthdays, the blue-chip Australian company said.
"We are continuing to investigate the proportion of the data that has been stolen, though we expect it will be significant,” the company said in a statement.
Credit card details and passport numbers were not kept in the system, Qantas added.
"There is no impact to Qantas' operations or the safety of the airline."
University of Adelaide cybersecurity expert Christopher Bronk said the stolen data could be used for identity theft.
A string of major cyberattacks has in recent years raised concerns about the protection of Australians' personal data.
Qantas apologised in 2024 after a glitch with its mobile app exposed some passengers' names and travel details.
Major ports handling 40 percent of Australia's freight trade ground to a halt in 2023 after hackers infiltrated computers belonging to operator DP World.
Russia-based hackers in 2022 breached one of Australia's largest private health insurers, accessing the data of more than nine million current and former customers.
The same year telecom company Optus suffered a data breach of similar magnitude in which the personal details of up to 9.8 million people were accessed.