Teen Hackers Behind M&S Cyber Attack Also Targeted Qantas Customers

A shocking cyber attack has left 5.7 million Qantas customers' personal data vulnerable after the same hackers who targeted Marks & Spencer (M&S) breached one of the airline's call centers in Manila, Philippines.

The hacking group, known as Scattered Spider, is comprised mainly of teenagers from the UK and US, according to the FBI. The group has been on a rampage, breaching industries such as telecom, finance, gaming, hospitality, and retail. Their latest target was Qantas, which revealed that hackers gained access to customer data by compromising one of its call centers.

The incident took place this week, with hackers managing to steal personal data from phone numbers, email addresses, addresses, dates of birth, genders, and in some cases, meal preferences. However, the airline assured customers that no payment details or passport information were compromised during the breach.

Qantas Takes Steps to Protect Customer Data

Following the incident, Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson stated that the airline's "absolute focus" has been on understanding what data was compromised for each of the impacted customers and sharing this information with them as soon as possible. The airline has also implemented additional cyber security measures to further protect its customers' data.

Investigation Ongoing, Arrests Made in UK

A forensic investigation into the incident is currently underway. Meanwhile, four people alleged to be associated with Scattered Spider were arrested in the UK on suspicion of blackmail, money laundering, and offences related to the Computer Misuse Act.

Expert Analysis: Intelligence Sharing and Proactive Cooperation

"The fact that arrests have been made so quickly in connection with a ransomware campaign – an 'anonymous' crime where the perpetrators often remain out of reach – is notable," said Ted Cowell, head of cyber security at S-RM. "Intelligence sharing and proactive cooperation are better than ever in this space, and I think that's a big part of the success story here."

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