FIIG Securities investigating cyber breach that could have hit up to 6,000 investors

FIIG Securities, a specialist investor in corporate bonds that oversees a portfolio of more than $5 billion, is investigating a security breach that could have affected up to 6,000 Australian investors.

The group confirmed over the long weekend that an ‘unauthorised third party’ illegally accessed its IT systems, but FIIG also has assured clients that it acted quickly once the security breach was identified.

“As soon as we became aware that a third party had illegally accessed our IT systems, we activated our cyber response,” a spokesperson for FIIG Securities says.

“We successfully took our IT systems and our client-facing portal offline to prevent further access to our systems and data. We are in the process of methodically and safely restarting our systems.

“Keeping our IT systems safe from unauthorised activity and protecting the personal information we hold remains our priority.”

As part of the company’s cyber response, FIIG Securities is working with third-party cyber security experts and isolating its affected systems.

FIIG, which has more than 100 staff and offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, says it is currently notifying clients of the breach, although the company has not indicated the information that was potentially acquired by the hacker.

“We have started the process of contacting our clients, employees and other stakeholders who may be impacted by this cybersecurity incident,” the spokesperson explains.

“Our investigations are ongoing and we are engaging with the Australian Cyber Security Centre.

“We have notified the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. Updates will be posted to our website as they become available.”

The company’s website further notes that FIIG Securities is ‘working in partnership with the relevant authorities to ensure we are complying with all necessary requirements and to proactively protect the security and privacy of all data we hold’.

FIIG Securities is a fixed-income specialist that invests in corporate bonds.

The company, which was established in 1998, currently has more than 6,000 clients with investments in more than 600 bond products from ASX-listed companies such as Qantas (ASX: QAN) and Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA).