DP World Says Personal Employee Data Stolen in Australian Hack
- January 2, 2024
- 6:10 am
Company Says They Have Not Seen Any Ransom Demands or Ransomware in Their Systems
In November, someone hacked into DP World Plc’s Australian business and stole the personal information of workers, the company said.
“A small amount of data was taken from the DP World Australia network,” the business said in a statement on November 28. “Some of the data that was affected includes personal information of DP World Australia employees old and new.” The business said that no personal information was stolen.
An overview of the incident
One of the biggest port operators in the country, DP World Australia, said on Tuesday that hackers had gotten into files with personal information about workers after a cyber incident early this month shut the company down for three days.
The breach, which was found on November 10, stopped the company from doing its job. The company handles about 40% of the goods that come into and go out of Australia. The breach affected its container ports in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Fremantle, Western Australia.
What does the investigation say?
The statement from an organization that is a part of Dubai’s state-owned DP World, says that “The investigation has shown that employees data was not affected.” The data that was impacted, however, included personal information of current and former workers.
Another report from the government shows that cyber groups and hackers working for the government have increased their attacks on Australia’s businesses, homes, and key infrastructure. Every six minutes, an attack happens.
DP World didn’t say who did it. Still, it did say that its research showed the problem only happened in Australia. It didn’t affect any other markets where the company does business.
The company that runs DP World Australia said that no virus was found or used on their network.
When DP World, one of only a few companies in Australia that works as a stevedore, saw the breach, they disconnected from the internet. This had a big effect on the moving of goods.
Statements from the dignitaries
A government report from almost two weeks ago said that attacks on Australia’s businesses, homes, and key infrastructure had risen due to state-sponsored cyber groups and hackers.
In its yearly threat report released on November 15, the Australian Cyber Security Centre said that reports of cybercrime rose 23% to more than 94,000 in the fiscal year ending in June.
The center thought that every six minutes, someone would hack into Australian assets.
The study said that the methods used by a Chinese hacking group that the government funds could be used against Australia’s important infrastructure, such as its energy, transportation, and phone systems.
Also, on November 15, Defence Minister Richard Marles told ABC Radio that the country was facing more and more cyber dangers. “We value, clearly, a productive relationship with China … but China has been a source of security anxiety for our country, and we prepare for that as well,” Defence Minister Marles said.
