Karl Stefanovic's ‘Optus fail’ rant: What did he say to get Australians talking?
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Data breaches are a huge risk to our security. With all of the information that is stored on our computers and devices, it's no wonder that hackers are constantly trying to find new ways to access this data.
While there are many steps that you can take to protect yourself, such as using strong passwords and keeping your software up to date, ultimately it's up to the companies who store your data to keep it safe. And unfortunately, as we've seen time and time again, they often don't do a good job of it.
That's why when the Optus data breach fiasco was reported across Australia, many customers were fuming over the fact that their sensitive personal information had been left exposed.
Today host Karl Stefanovic was among the thousands of Aussies who are outraged at the company's 'slow' response to what appears to be the worst data privacy breach in Australia's history.
Karl Stefanovic slammed Optus for its inaction over what appears to be Australia’s largest data breach ever. Credit: Nine.
The TV presenter criticised the telco for taking three days to personally notify the affected customers, pointing out that the lack of action was a 'massive safety concern'.
He remarked: 'The fact that Optus was so slow on to it in the first place, the fact that this person is now targeting innocent Australians, is abhorrent to me.'
'The fact that we can't do anything about it is even worse and the fact that we haven't got legislation around this, at this point in time, get on to it fast, and the Australian Government needs to act on this right now.'
'But right now, 10,000 Australians have their details, their private details, on the public record, able to be used for any kind of crime.'
When Stefanovic found out it wasn't a sophisticated cyberattack that even newbie hackers can carry out the crime, he said it made him 'angry'.
'You know we put our faith in companies, and this is a big company.' Stefanovic pointed out.
'Nine million customers and a high-school kid could've hacked it.'
'I mean, it's as bad as it gets, and this could be a company killer.'
Stefanovic also claimed that while some Optus customers had already been 'bombarded' with calls and messages, others had not yet received a personal notification from the telco company.
The ‘optus hacker’ has surprisingly taken a turn about their initial threats and calls for ransom. Credit: Shutterstock/AlyoshinE.
After disclosing the information of about 10,000 customers, the 'optus hacker' announced on Tuesday morning that they would not sell or disclose the hacked data of up to 10 million Australians because there were 'too many eyes' on them.
'Deepest apology to Optus for this. Hope all goes well from this,' the cybercriminal said in broken English.
The hacker added that if there had been a means to contact them, they would have informed the telco of their vulnerability.
They added: 'Optus if your [sic] reading we would have reported exploit if you had a method to contact.'
'No security mail, no bug bounties, no way to message.’
'Ransom not paid but we don't care anymore.'
The unexpected 'u-turn' came after the cybercriminal had earlier threatened to release 10,000 records per day for the following four days unless a $1.5 million ransom is paid.
Passport, driver's licence, and Medicare numbers, along with dates of birth and residential addresses, were among the customer details that the hacker has so far made public.
Many people are unsure of what they can do to safeguard themselves and whether they can receive financial compensation as a result of the data breach.
Optus has apologised for the miscalculation and has confirmed that its team is already conducting an investigation.
The troubled telco has provided free credit checks with Equifax to its 'most affected' customers.
An Optus spokesperson said: 'The most affected customers will be receiving direct communications from Optus over the coming days on how to start their subscription at no cost.'
This is just the latest in a long line of data breaches, and it's becoming increasingly clear that our current system is simply not up to the task of keeping our data safe.
It's time for a change. We need to demand better security from the companies who hold our data, and we need to be more vigilant about protecting our information. Otherwise, these data breaches are going to continue to occur, and they're only going to get more damaging.
Do you share the same sentiments as Karl? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
While there are many steps that you can take to protect yourself, such as using strong passwords and keeping your software up to date, ultimately it's up to the companies who store your data to keep it safe. And unfortunately, as we've seen time and time again, they often don't do a good job of it.
That's why when the Optus data breach fiasco was reported across Australia, many customers were fuming over the fact that their sensitive personal information had been left exposed.
Today host Karl Stefanovic was among the thousands of Aussies who are outraged at the company's 'slow' response to what appears to be the worst data privacy breach in Australia's history.
Karl Stefanovic slammed Optus for its inaction over what appears to be Australia’s largest data breach ever. Credit: Nine.
The TV presenter criticised the telco for taking three days to personally notify the affected customers, pointing out that the lack of action was a 'massive safety concern'.
He remarked: 'The fact that Optus was so slow on to it in the first place, the fact that this person is now targeting innocent Australians, is abhorrent to me.'
'The fact that we can't do anything about it is even worse and the fact that we haven't got legislation around this, at this point in time, get on to it fast, and the Australian Government needs to act on this right now.'
'But right now, 10,000 Australians have their details, their private details, on the public record, able to be used for any kind of crime.'
When Stefanovic found out it wasn't a sophisticated cyberattack that even newbie hackers can carry out the crime, he said it made him 'angry'.
'You know we put our faith in companies, and this is a big company.' Stefanovic pointed out.
'Nine million customers and a high-school kid could've hacked it.'
'I mean, it's as bad as it gets, and this could be a company killer.'
Stefanovic also claimed that while some Optus customers had already been 'bombarded' with calls and messages, others had not yet received a personal notification from the telco company.
The ‘optus hacker’ has surprisingly taken a turn about their initial threats and calls for ransom. Credit: Shutterstock/AlyoshinE.
After disclosing the information of about 10,000 customers, the 'optus hacker' announced on Tuesday morning that they would not sell or disclose the hacked data of up to 10 million Australians because there were 'too many eyes' on them.
'Deepest apology to Optus for this. Hope all goes well from this,' the cybercriminal said in broken English.
The hacker added that if there had been a means to contact them, they would have informed the telco of their vulnerability.
They added: 'Optus if your [sic] reading we would have reported exploit if you had a method to contact.'
'No security mail, no bug bounties, no way to message.’
'Ransom not paid but we don't care anymore.'
The unexpected 'u-turn' came after the cybercriminal had earlier threatened to release 10,000 records per day for the following four days unless a $1.5 million ransom is paid.
Passport, driver's licence, and Medicare numbers, along with dates of birth and residential addresses, were among the customer details that the hacker has so far made public.
Many people are unsure of what they can do to safeguard themselves and whether they can receive financial compensation as a result of the data breach.
Optus has apologised for the miscalculation and has confirmed that its team is already conducting an investigation.
The troubled telco has provided free credit checks with Equifax to its 'most affected' customers.
An Optus spokesperson said: 'The most affected customers will be receiving direct communications from Optus over the coming days on how to start their subscription at no cost.'
This is just the latest in a long line of data breaches, and it's becoming increasingly clear that our current system is simply not up to the task of keeping our data safe.
It's time for a change. We need to demand better security from the companies who hold our data, and we need to be more vigilant about protecting our information. Otherwise, these data breaches are going to continue to occur, and they're only going to get more damaging.
Do you share the same sentiments as Karl? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
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