Telco firm Optus has been in deep shambles since last week after millions of customer data was reportedly leaked by an unidentified hacker. This time around, an alleged mastermind behind the cyberattack has issued an apology seen in a now-deleted post.
The purported cybercriminal said that no data will further be sold or leaked anymore. The announcement arrived hours after they demanded Optus a ransom for the data.
Optus Hacker Issues a Sudden Apology
According to a report by News.com.au, Optusdata, the alleged person who orchestrated the recent Optus hack has already apologized for the mess that they made to millions of Australian customers.
In a now-deleted post, the hacker promised that they won't sell or leak any personal data to anyone. Apart from this, they claimed to have deleted all the data from the drive--where the sole copy of the files was located.
"Optus if your (sic) reading we would have reported exploit if you had method to contact. No security mail, no bug bountys, no way too message," the removed message reads.
Furthermore, the hacker said that leaking the data online was a "mistake" on their part. Although there's no assurance about the statement, the authorities are still on high alert for potential data leakage that might take place.
Optus Hacker Demands For Ransom
Earlier, the alleged hacker contacted Optus and asked the company to pay them 1.5 million Australian dollars ($1 million) in cryptocurrency.
If the telco giant won't comply with their request, the cybercriminal will release 10,000 data from the affected customers. The warning also added that another batch of 10,000 data will be leaked in the next four days if the demand won't be met.
According to The Guardian, the hacker says that the data contains sensitive details from more than 10 million Optus customers. These include passwords, ID document numbers, email addresses, names, and phone numbers.
At that time, a spokesperson from the Australian Federal Police said that they were aware of the situation.
Aside from the personal data, Jeremy Kirk, a cybersecurity analyst said that there were Medicare numbers on the new data set. He contacted the Optus hacker and told him to explain how the hack happened.
Related Article: Optus Cyberattack: 9.8 Milion Customers Hit by Largest Data Breach in Australia
Why Did the Hacker Exploit Optus?
Brett Callow, a cybersecurity expert said that the Optus hacker has one motive behind the massive data breach. He said that they are only after a "big payday."
For the past four days, Optus CEO Kelly Bayern Rosmarin claimed that the Optus hack that took place has compromised about 10 million records from their clients in what seems to be the "absolute worst case scenario" in the history of Australian cybersecurity.
Earlier this week, the company said that it will offer a free 12-month subscription for the "most affected" Optus customers. It will serve as an outlet for credit monitoring for potential fraud.
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Written by Joseph Henry
