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Origin Energy has declined to comment on a media report that claims Australia’s largest gas and electricity retailer has settled the threat by a cyberhacker to release stolen data of up to 4.8 million customers within 14 days.
The bombshell report by The Australian newspaper this morning revealed the publication has been in touch with the alleged hacker, who uses the name Edison Walthour, who says he will now not release the stolen data as the matter had been settled privately with Origin.
The Australian says it first raised the cyberhacking issue with Origin on Tuesday after being contacted by the cyberhacker who claimed their threat had been ignored by Origin for almost three weeks.
Origin made the hacking incident public on Wednesday after being approached by the newspaper for comment
After being approached by Business News Australia this morning to confirm the media report, Origin declined to comment directly on the matter and instead referred to its latest statement published yesterday.
Origin yesterday confirmed there had been “unauthorised access and disclosure of some customers’ data”.
The company says it is working to determine how many customers are affected with the intention to contact anyone who is likely to have been impacted.
The data may include name, address, date of birth, contact phone number and account information, as well as the last four digits of a credit card, or the last three digits of a bank account.
Origin points out that incomplete credit card or bank account information can’t be used to make purchases or access accounts.
Origin CEO Frank Calabria has apologised for incident.
“Customers trust Origin with their information, and I apologise for the impact this may cause,” he says.
“We are contacting affected customers, offering support and have set up a dedicated contact number and additional resources to help manage our response to this incident.
“One of our key priorities is taking action to secure our systems and ensure no further unauthorised access. We are working with independent cyber experts to support Origin, and that work is continuing alongside the work of authorities.”
The Australian reports that the private settlement with the hacker was reached after Calabria issued the public apology yesterday.
The newspaper says the hacker has identified as an Australian, rather than a foreign actor, and that they used the logon of a fired former Origin employee to access the company's customer management system.
Origin says it continues to work with government agencies, including the Australian Cyber Security Centre, the Australian Federal Police and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, in relation to the matter.
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