Qantas Data Breach Exposes 5.7 Million Customers’ Data, Raising Global Cybersecurity Concerns

In a huge cybersecurity incident that has shaken the technology and aviation industries, Australian airline Qantas reported that data from 5.7 million customers was stolen in a Salesforce-related cyberattack and shared online.The hackers were able to steal client data from Salesforce's systems and are now seeking a ransom to stop the stolen information from spreading further. The attack, which also affected major companies such as Google, Disney, IKEA, Toyota, McDonald's, Air France, and KLM, underscores the expanding global threat of data theft, ransomware, and social engineering tactics.

According to cybersecurity experts, this attack was part of a broader data breach that targeted Salesforce, a major cloud-based customer management platform used by millions of global organisations. According to Qantas, hackers gained access to a third-party system in early July, compromising customer information such as names, email addresses, phone numbers, and birth dates. The airline stated that no credit cards, passports, or financial information were compromised.

Cybersecurity specialists have linked this attack to the Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters, a group responsible for multiple high-profile data thefts. According to Unit 42 analysts, the hackers set a ransom on October 10 and acquired access through social engineering, a manipulation strategy in which attackers impersonate as legitimate employees or IT staff to deceive victims into providing credentials.

The FBI has already published warnings about such social engineering attacks against Salesforce customers, emphasising that these approaches frequently rely on human trust rather than software weaknesses. According to experts, the attack underscores the importance of cybersecurity awareness and training for employees, in addition to technical defences. This Qantas data breach is one of an increasing number of cyberattacks that raise major concerns about personal data security. With online risks on the rise worldwide, organisations are being urged to enhance their data security policies, employee training, and third-party vendor monitoring to avoid similar breaches.

This enormous data leak serves as yet another reminder that, in the modern age, even the most established brands are only as secure as their weakest digital connection.

This article is based on information from The Hindu