Government flags new cybersecurity laws and increase in fines after Optus breach

Clare O’Neil says penalties for telcos are ‘totally inappropriate’ and data breach was ‘significant error’

The Albanese government will pursue “very substantial” reforms in the wake of the massive Optus data breach, including increasing penalties under the Privacy Act that are currently capped at $2.2m.

As the government flags it will push ahead with legislative changes, hundreds of public servants from the Australian Signals Directorate, the Australian Cyber Security Centre and the Australian federal police were deployed to help manage the fallout from the data breach, with the government also working with banks to prevent further fraud.

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Optus data security breach: what should I do to protect myself?

Experts say while ‘there’s no need to panic’, there are steps you can take to ensure you’re not exposed to scams or identity theft

After Optus revealed its massive data security breach on Thursday, customers started receiving emails informing them that their personal information had been accessed.

The telco said that while no financial information or passwords were accessed, the breach has seen customers’ names, dates of birth, email addresses, phone numbers, addresses associated with their account, and details of ID documents such as drivers licence numbers or passport numbers compromised.

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Optus faces potential class action and pledges free credit monitoring to data-breach customers

Home affairs minister Clare O’Neil says company to blame and flags new laws with large fines for such breaches

Optus has agreed to provide free credit monitoring to the millions of customers caught up in its massive data breach, as the home affairs minister flags changes to law to potentially fine companies millions for similar breaches.

The company on Monday said it had informed all customers via email or SMS who had their passport or driver’s licence numbers compromised in the breach last week.

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What to consider before disposing of personal data – Week in security with Tony Anscombe

A major financial services company has learned the hard way about the importance of proper disposal of customers’ personal data

The post What to consider before disposing of personal data – Week in security with Tony Anscombe appeared first on WeLiveSecurity

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