Apparently emptied accounts: Cyber attack on Australian pension funds
The largest pension funds in Australia have become the target of cyber attacks, the extent of which is still unclear.
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In coordinated attacks on the most important pension funds in Australia, criminals have apparently stolen personal data and at least apparently emptied entire accounts. This is reported by the ABC news channel, which explains that the accounts of some of those affected give the impression that 500,000 Australian dollars (around 280,000 euros) have been taken from four people alone. The pension fund concerned, AustralianSuper, has admitted to the attacks, but assures that the accounts are secure and that the claim of 0 dollars in assets is false. Similar incidents have been reported at other large pension funds, but all have given assurances that no one has lost their savings.
Bank details to be checked
There is no further background to the incidents so far, but local media are reporting that customers were shocked when they looked at their accounts. "It's very worrying when you suddenly have 0 dollars in your pension account on a Friday," ABC quotes one affected person. AustralianSuper has stated that the entire customer base has been temporarily deprived of the ability to change banking and some contact details. Everyone should check that their banking details are correct. Together with the information from ABC that some data has been compromised, this suggests that the unknown criminals have gained access to at least some accounts.
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The affected fund operators are reportedly working with the National Cyber Security Agency. According to the ABC, AustralianSuper alone was the target of 600 "attempted cyber-attacks" last month, although it is not clear what this includes. Anyone who notices suspicious activity on their account should call the company. At the same time, however, it also points out that so many people are currently trying to do this that they will have to be prepared for "extremely long" waiting times. Australia's Prime Minister has also already spoken out. Anthony Albanese explained that he had been informed of the incident, but that cyberattacks were extremely common.
(mho)
