‘Can be used as a weapon’: Major Optus data breach impacts millions of people

Optus customers are facing a heightened risk of identity theft and online scams after the personal information of millions of people were compromised in one of the nation's biggest-ever data breaches. It's believed both current and former Optus customers have been impacted. Around seven million Optus customers have had their dates of birth, email addresses, and phone numbers stolen, while more than two million also had their license numbers and home addresses compromised. It’s unclear who is behind the data breach, but it’s believed the hackers may be working for a criminal or state-sponsored organisation. ANU Professor John Blaxland said the stolen information can be used as a “weapon”.