Australia’s privacy watchdog warns ‘vishing’ on the rise as Qantas strengthens security after cyber-attack

Qantas says more security measures will be put in place after the personal information of up to 6 million customers was stolen in a cyber-attack. Photograph: David Gray/AFP/Getty Images

Qantas has said it will beef up its security and threat detection after a cyber-attack affecting up to 6 million customers, as Australia’s privacy watchdog has warned attacks using social engineering to gain access to data are on the rise.

In an update to customers on Thursday, the airline said more security measures would be put in place after cybercriminals were able to gain access to a third-party system used by a Qantas airline contact centre to steal customers’ personal information.