Singapore ready to help with Optus data leak, PM tells Albanese
Singapore has pledged support for Australian authorities in their investigation of the massive Optus data breach.
Optus is owned by Singaporean telecommunications giant Singtel, which is majority owned by a government investment fund.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong discussed the Optus cyber hack during talks in Canberra today.
Lee said Singapore was taking the data breach seriously.
“Agencies have also reached out to the Australian counterparts and stand ready to provide support to the Australian government should our assistance be needed,” he said.
“Singapore takes the data breach very seriously.
“We expect all Singapore companies to comply fully with domestic laws wherever they operate and cooperate with the domestic regulators.”
The incident resulted in nearly 10 million people having details stolen.
Albanese said the Optus hack was a stark reminder for companies to comply with Australian privacy laws.
“It’s a wake-up call to all companies about data retention and about the need to be vigilant in making sure the provisions of the Privacy Act are complied with,” he said.
“I appreciate the (Singaporean) prime minister being co-operative on this issue.”
Optus confirmed earlier this month that at least 2.1 million personal identification numbers have been stolen.
The telco also announced an external review by international services company Deloitte into the massive cyber attack.
Following investigations, Optus said of the 9.8 million customers whose data was hacked, it believes 7.7 million do not need to replace documents.
The 2.1 million personal ID details include 150,000 passport and 50,000 Medicare numbers.
