From The Economist

Asia | Once more unto the breach

A spate of cyber-attacks is making life miserable for Australians

Excessive data retention and sloppy security make the country a juicy target

Nov 3rd 2022 | SYDNEY

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“Iliterally have no privacy any more,” groans Anita, a researcher in Western Australia (who, in a bid to regain some, asked The Economist to withhold her surname). Her personal data has been stolen twice. On September 23rd her phone company, Optus, told her that she had been a “victim of a cyber-attack”, exposing her name, contact details, and passport and driving licence numbers. A few weeks later she learnt that her private health insurer, ahm, had been hit in a separate attack. Her phone buzzes more often with spam calls and emails these days. She was recently the target of a phishing attempt.

Millions of Australians share that misery. A spate of big cyber-attacks has disrupted life down under.