A hacker in Australia has demanded a million-dollar ransom for stolen personal data, threatening to put it on the dark web if not paid, prompting police action.
The AP news agency, citing the telecommunication company, has said that the data of some Optus customers have also been released by the hacker, while the ransom payment has been demanded in cryptocurrency.
The hacking incident that came to light last week and revealed that the data of around 10 million customers was stolen has been blamed by the government on the cybersecurity company Lex.
Jeremy Kirk, a Sydney-based cyber security writer, says the hacker released 10,000 users' data on the darknet and threatened to release 10,000 users' data on the darknet every day if Optus didn't pay. will be inserted.
When Optus was asked what would happen if the hacker sold customer data if it did not disclose, the company's chief Kelly Bayer Rossmeerin told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation: Have seen on the web.'
The Australian Federal Police says that investigations are ongoing into who is behind it and who is involved. Apart from this, the police have refused to give any further details.
Likewise, according to Jeremy Kirk, Tuesday's release deals with health statistics that have never been released before.
Cybersecurity Minister O'Neill urged Optus to keep consumers informed on the matter. It is disturbing that ransom is being demanded for data.
O'Neill added that it was the first time in Australia's history that such a large number of customers had been affected.
Of the nearly 10 million users affected by the attack, sensitive data of 2.8 million was stolen, including driver's licenses and passport numbers.
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