Visualização normal

Antes de ontemStream principal

Firewall Daily – The Cyber Express
Origin Energy Data Breach Affects 900,000 Current and Former Customers Ashish Khaitan
The Origin Energy data breach has affected approximately 900,000 current and former customers after Australia's largest energy retailer confirmed unauthorized access to customer information. The company also revealed it had received a warning about the potential breach weeks before it publicly disclosed the incident. Origin Energy said a significant proportion of those affected by the data breach at Origin Energy were former customers. The compromised information may include names, addresses
28 de Julho de 2026, 06:03

Origin Energy Data Breach Affects 900,000 Current and Former Customers

28 de Julho de 2026, 06:03

Origin Energy data breach

The Origin Energy data breach has affected approximately 900,000 current and former customers after Australia's largest energy retailer confirmed unauthorized access to customer information. The company also revealed it had received a warning about the potential breach weeks before it publicly disclosed the incident. Origin Energy said a significant proportion of those affected by the data breach at Origin Energy were former customers. The compromised information may include names, addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers and account details, along with the last four digits of a credit card or the last three digits of a bank account. The company said incomplete credit card and bank account details cannot be used to make purchases or access customer accounts. Origin provides electricity, fossil gas, LPG and internet services to households and businesses across Australia and has approximately 4.8 million customer accounts.

Frank Calabria Apologizes After Origin Energy Data Breach

Origin Chief Executive Frank Calabria apologized to customers following confirmation of the breach and warned that affected individuals should remain alert to suspicious activity and a heightened risk of scams. "We are sorry," Calabria said. "We don't take for granted the trust customers place in Origin, and we're here to support them." Calabria said Origin first received emails on 2 July from an individual claiming to have accessed customer records. However, the company did not initially consider the threat credible because there was no evidence confirming customer data had been accessed. The company received proof of customer data access on 22 July, after which Origin announced the incident publicly. Calabria said the information accessed appeared to be historical customer data obtained "on an unauthorised basis". He said Origin had taken steps to secure its systems and prevent further unauthorised access, adding that the company did not believe any customer information had been published on the dark web.

Timeline of the Data Breach at Origin Energy

Origin said it had been reviewing a potential security threat since early July and had worked to assess its credibility and possible impact. In its update, the company said the threat was not considered credible based on the information available at the time. "On 22 July, new information emerged that indicated a potential security incident may have occurred. We acted immediately, providing updates to the market and notifying our customers as a precaution," Calabria said. The Origin Energy data breach remains under investigation by relevant authorities. Calabria said the company could not provide further details about the incident because it was a criminal matter. "It is a criminal matter which is under active investigation and, given that, we are constrained by the level of information we can provide at this time," he said. Calabria declined to comment on several issues, including when the breach occurred, whether any employees were involved, whether a ransom had been demanded or paid, and whether there remained an active risk of further data leaks.

Origin Confirms Investigation into Customer Data Breach

In its first statement on 23 July 2026, Origin announced it was investigating a potential security incident involving unauthorized access to some customer data. The company said it did not believe the affected information included customer credit card or bank account details. "We understand an incident like this may raise concerns and acknowledge the impact of this uncertainty on Origin customers," Origin said. The company confirmed it had notified the Australian Cyber Security Centre, the Australian Federal Police and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. A later update confirmed there had been unauthorised access and disclosure of customer information. Origin said it was working to identify all affected customers and would contact those whose information had been compromised.

Around 900,000 Customers Affected by Origin Energy Data Breach

Following an initial review, Origin confirmed that approximately 900,000 current and former customers had been affected by the breach. "We have now completed the initial phase of our review into Origin's customer data security incident," Frank Calabria said. "At this point in time, we believe the information of approximately 900,000 current and former customers was accessed." Calabria again apologized to customers and said protecting affected individuals remained the company's priority. "To our customers, I am sorry. We don't take for granted the trust customers place in Origin and our safeguarding of their information," he said. "We are contacting those customers whose information has been accessed and are providing support to them." Origin said it had extended customer support hours, established a dedicated contact number and was working with cybersecurity and forensic specialists to contain the incident. The company also confirmed ongoing cooperation with government agencies, including the Australian Cyber Security Centre, the National Office of Cyber Security, the Australian Federal Police and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

Customers Warned about Scams Following Data Breach at Origin Energy

Origin has made specialist identity and cybersecurity support services available to affected customers. Customers with concerns can contact Origin through its dedicated support line on +61 8 9922 7000 or email hello@origin.com.au. The company advised customers to be cautious of unexpected calls, emails or text messages referring to their Origin accounts. It recommended avoiding links in unsolicited messages, independently verifying callers through official channels, never sharing passwords, and not providing personal or financial information unless the recipient's identity is confirmed. Origin also encouraged customers to use two-step authentication, such as authentication applications, for personal email accounts and other online services where available. We are acutely aware that others may exploit this incident, including by impersonating Origin or through other scam activity," Calabria said. "We recommend that all our customers remain vigilant to suspicious activity and a heightened risk of scams."

Security Affairs
Australian energy provider Origin Energy disclosed a data breach impacting customer data Pierluigi Paganini
Origin Energy confirmed a data breach after a hacker claimed to have stolen data from 2 million customers and threatened to leak it. Origin Energy disclosed a cyberattack that exposed customer data after a hacker claimed to have stolen records belonging to 2 million customers and threatened to publish them. An alleged hacker calling themselves “John Doe” claimed responsibility for the Origin Energy breach, saying they accessed the company’s customer systems and stole customers’ personal data
25 de Julho de 2026, 12:21

Australian energy provider Origin Energy disclosed a data breach impacting customer data

Security Affairs

Por:Pierluigi Paganini

25 de Julho de 2026, 12:21

Origin Energy confirmed a data breach after a hacker claimed to have stolen data from 2 million customers and threatened to leak it.

Origin Energy disclosed a cyberattack that exposed customer data after a hacker claimed to have stolen records belonging to 2 million customers and threatened to publish them. An alleged hacker calling themselves “John Doe” claimed responsibility for the Origin Energy breach, saying they accessed the company’s customer systems and stole customers’ personal data.

“Most are loyal, long-term customers,” reads an email sent by the hacker to Australian media outlet 7News.

“Despite my outreach to their board members, security teams, and customer care departments, Origin hasn’t made a public announcement about the breach or responded to negotiate next steps.

“They’ve shown no interest in resolving it before the data goes public.”

The claim prompted an urgent investigation by the Australian energy provider.

The Australian energy provider said unauthorized access affected some customer information and is still investigating the incident to determine how many people were impacted.

“Origin can confirm there has been unauthorised access and disclosure of some customers’ data. We are working to understand the total number of impacted customers, and we will contact any customers where we can confirm they have been affected.” reads the update on data security incident published by the company on July 23.

“For affected customers, impacted data may include name, address, date of birth, contact phone number and account information, as well as the last four digits of a credit card, or the last three digits of a bank account. Incomplete credit card or bank account information cannot be used to make purchases or access accounts.”

Origin Energy is one of Australia’s largest integrated energy companies, with approximately 4.8 million customers. Headquartered in Sydney, it operates across the electricity and natural gas sectors.

The firm is investigating the security breach with the help of external cybersecurity experts.

The company said the attacker may have stolen customers’ names, addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, account details, and partial payment card or bank account numbers. The energy firm is notifying affected customers and has informed Australian law enforcement, cyber, and privacy authorities, including the Australian Cyber Security Centre, the Australian Federal Police and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

Origin Energy pointed out that its operations have not been impacted.

The “John Doe” gave Origin 14 days to respond and threatened to release the stolen data if the company does not reach an agreement.

Follow me on Twitter: @securityaffairs and Facebook and Mastodon

Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, newsletter)