Factbox-OpenAI data breach latest in long list of hacks in Australia

SYDNEY, Sept 24 (Reuters) – Australia said on Thursday an OpenAI agent breached a government health data portal in June, gaining unauthorised access to files, in what could be the first known instance of an AI agent hacking a government website.

The breach is one of dozens in recent years affecting some of Australia’s biggest companies. Experts have previously said the frequency and scale of the attacks suggest the country’s understaffed cybersecurity industry seems unequipped to combat such hacks. 

Here is a list of the largest data breaches in recent years:

SEPTEMBER 2022: OPTUS

Australia’s second-largest mobile operator Optus, owned by Singapore Telecommunications, reported a data breach that affected 9.5 million customers, about 40% of the nation’s population. The exposed data included home addresses, drivers’ licences and passport numbers.

OCTOBER 2022: WOOLWORTHS

Australia’s biggest grocer Woolworths said its majority-owned online retailer MyDeal identified that a “compromised user credential” was used to access its systems, exposing email addresses, phone numbers and delivery addresses of about 2.2 million customers.

NOVEMBER 2022: MEDIBANK

Australia’s largest health insurer Medibank, which covers about one-sixth of Australians, said that personal and health claims data of around 9.7 million of its current and former customers were compromised.

MARCH 2023: LATITUDE FINANCIAL SERVICES 

Australian digital payments and lending firm Latitude said in March 2023 a hacker had stolen millions of customer records, including 7.9 million Australian and New Zealand drivers’ license numbers. 

MAY 2024: MEDISECURE

Electronic prescription service provider MediSecure disclosed a cyberattack that it later said exposed the personal and health information of around 12.9 million people, making it one of the largest cyberattacks in Australian history. The scale of the breach eventually forced the company into administration. 

JULY 2025: QANTAS

Qantas, Australia’s biggest airline, said in July 2025 a breach of a third-party platform exposed the personal data of 5.7 million customers. 

AUGUST 2026: ORIGIN ENERGY

Origin Energy, the country’s largest electricity and gas provider, said a late-July data breach exposed credit card and bank account details of around 900,000 current and former customers.

(Compiled by Alasdair Pal in Sydney; Editing by Sonali Paul)