Budget 2022: Hack attack: Nearly $6m for Optus probe

The Australian Information Commissioner will receive a $5.5m funding boost over two years to investigate and respond to the Optus data breach,

The Australian Information Commissioner will receive a $5.5m funding boost over two years to investigate and respond to the Optus data breach, as part of a broader suite of new funding designed to better protect scam victims from costly cyber attacks.

The new spending, comprised of $3m in this financial year and $2.5m in the 2023 financial year, will be specifically used to probe this month’s massive breach, which has affected millions of Australians and engulfed one of the nation’s largest telecommunications companies.

Earlier this month, Optus confirmed that 2.1 million customers had at least one identity document number, such as a passport number or driver’s licence number, stolen in the cyber attack and the culprit was yet to be caught.

It’s thought an Optus employee opened a port for testing purposes and then left that port open, allowing the attack to occur. The telco has hired professional services firm Deloitte to carry out an independent external investigation, but says it won’t make the report public.

Companies like Optus that suffer large-scale privacy breaches could be fined $50m under proposed new federal laws.

Meanwhile, statistics released on Tuesday from a national survey of 1200 people by SEC Newgate found nearly 25 per cent of adult Australians claim their personal digital data has been “hacked” or stolen, underscoring the seriousness of the issue.

The research found 23 per cent of those surveyed said they had “definitely” had their personal data hacked or stolen while another 19 per cent said they believed this may have happened to them, suggesting nearly half the population could have been the victims of cyber attacks and data breaches.

Health insurer Medibank and e-commerce website MyDeal.com.au have also been caught up in incidents, potentially impacting millions of Australians.

The budget also allocated $31.3m to extend the cyber hubs pilot to improve the cyber security of government agencies. The federal government also announced on Tuesday it would spend an extra $2m in the 2022-23 financial year to help scam victims recover their identities.

Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil said the money was “part of fulfilling the government’s election commitment to combat scams and online fraud”.