Real estate listings website Domain has been hit by massive cyber attack

Real estate portal Domain has warned users that hackers could have access to their personal information after a ‘concerning’ cyber attack.

User datat at real estate portal Domain has been accessed by hackers. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

Real estate listings portal Domain has been hit by a cyber attack, with the company warning user data has been compromised.

It is the second time in two months Nine media, which owns Domain, has been sabotaged by hackers.

Domain boss Jason Pellegrino contacted the Australian Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner about the incident and advised users that their personal information, such as phone numbers and email addresses may have been accessed by the hackers.

The portal is advising users to be careful when trying to secure rental properties on the website and app.

“We have identified a scam that used a phishing attack to gain access to Domain’s administrative systems to engage with people who have made rental property enquiries,” Mr Pellegrino said.

Domain chief executive Jason Pellegrino. Picture: Hollie Adams/The Australian

“We understand the scammers then contacted some of these people by email to suggest that they pay a ‘deposit’ to secure a rental property on a website nominated by the scammer. “

In an email to users of the Domain portal, Mr Pellegrino wrote: “There is a risk that some of your personal information may have been accessed by an unauthorised third party that has obtained access to Domain’s systems as a result of a scam targeting one of our systems.

“We appreciate this can be concerning information to hear, and we are sorry for any stress or negative impact this causes you,”.

The cyber attack on the Nine owned digital entity comes almost two months after its broadcasting arm was devasted by hackers.

“While this is a serious matter, at this point our investigation shows only a small number of people may have engaged with the scam. Clearly people are becoming more aware of how to spot suspicious online behaviour and taking protective measures not to engage in such activity,” Mr Pellegrino said

“Unfortunately, since COVID, scams like these have been on the rise. It is disappointing for us to find out that after such a challenging past twelve months for many of us some see this as an opportunity to take advantage of others.”

Domain has warned the personal information of house hunters has been compromised. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

“Since becoming aware of this scam we have implemented several additional security controls and elevated our level of monitoring even further. We continue to implement further ways to identify and prevent phishing and have engaged external security consultants to provide further expertise in the management and prevention of online scams”.

Rival listings portal realestate.com.au said it had not been compromised by cyber hackers.

“Our ongoing investigation does not show any evidence that enquiries made through REA’s portal have been compromised through this phishing scam,” a spokesperson said.

Phishing occurs when scammers attempt to impersonate legitimate organisations, often via email, text messages or advertisements in exchange for private information.

On May 28, Channel Nine cancelled some of its live programming after being hit by an “unprecedented cyber attack’. The station was forced to move some of its live broadcasting from Sydney to Melbourne to deal with the situation.

The Nine Network also experienced massive disruptions to the production of its newspapers.

Anyone whose personal information might have been accessed by hackers or who has been a victim of the scam, is advised to report it to Scamwatch.