Origin Energy Hack: 900,000 Customers Compromised

Origin Energy, Australia's largest electricity and gas retailer, has disclosed a significant cybersecurity incident impacting the personal information of approximately 900,000 customers. The compromised data may include names, addresses, dates of birth, contact numbers, account details, and partial financial information such as the last four digits of credit card numbers.

In an apology issued on Tuesday, Origin Energy CEO Frank Calabria confirmed the breach and stated the company is reaching out to affected customers to provide identity-protection and cyber support services. The company began investigating a potential security threat in early July but initially assessed it as not credible until new information emerged on July 22, indicating a breach had likely occurred.

This incident follows a series of major cyberattacks on Australian organizations, including Optus, Qantas, and Medibank. Origin Energy is urging customers to be vigilant against scams, unexpected communications, and to independently verify any contact claiming to be from the company. They also advise enabling two-step authentication on online accounts.