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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Business
Tory Shepherd

The biggest hack in history: Australians scramble to change passports and driver licences after Optus telco data debacle

An Optus store in Sydney
Optus chief Kelly Bayer Rosmarin initially claimed the company had fallen prey to a sophisticated attack, but the federal government and tech experts have cast doubt on that claim. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

When Amy Hunting* first heard about one of the biggest cyber attacks in Australian history, she immediately checked to see if her personal details had been compromised.

She realised that, as a customer of the country’s second largest telecommunications provider, Optus, there was a fair chance she was one of about 10 million people whose information had been hacked – but at first, there was no communication. Eventually she got an email saying she had been caught up in the breach, which exposed one in three Australians to the risk of identity theft or financial fraud.

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