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Cyberattack on Optus compromises the personal information of nine million Australians.
Cyber criminals could have access to enough information to steal the identities of millions of Australians, after Optus was hit by a major cyber attack, the consumer watchdog has warned.
Optus confirmed yesterday that users' names, dates of birth, phone numbers, email addresses, driver's licence numbers, passport numbers or addresses could all have been accessed in a major breach.
Australian Consumer and Competition Commission deputy chair Delia Rickard said the cyber attack was extremely worrying due to the large amount of personal information fraudsters might be able to access.
"These are all the things that you need for identity theft and also all the things you need to personalise a scam and make it much more convincing," she told Nine's Today program this morning.
Optus said users' payment details and account passwords had not been compromised and it was working with the Australian Cyber Security Centre to limit the risk to both current and former customers.
Optus is in meltdown trying to contain the damage from one of the worst cyber attacks our nation has ever seen. @9JesseBurns #9News
— 9News Australia (@9NewsAUS) September 22, 2022
MORE: https://t.co/3cXK5SyAaV pic.twitter.com/VnZVACPFoR
Australian Federal Police, the Office of the Australian Information Regulator and other key regulators have also been notified.
Rickard said any Optus customers who suspected they were victims of fraud should request a ban on their credit records and be highly sceptical of unexpected calls from people purporting to represent banks or government agencies.
Scamwatch has also advised Optus customers to secure their personal information by changing online account passwords and enabling multi-factor authentication for banking. Affected customers should also place limits on bank accounts as well as monitoring for any unusual activity.
- With AAP.
Fake blood-soaked flags burned at protests on Queen's National Day of Mourning.
The Australian flag was soaked in fake blood and burned yesterday, as thousands gathered across Australia on the Queen's National Day of Mourning to protest against the monarchy and colonisation.
Greens senator Lidia Thorpe dipped her hands in red paint and led hundreds of protesters through Melbourne.
"The Crown's boot is on our neck and we're sick of it," she told the rally.
"Do you know we have over 20,000 Aboriginal children who have been stolen in 2022? And you want to mourn the coloniser who brought the pain and the genocide and the murders here to our people. Shame!"
The crowd then sat at the intersection of Flinders and Swanston streets, before marching to state parliament.
Chants of "abolish the monarchy" rang out through the heart of Melbourne, as thousands of protesters marched to Spring Street.
— 9News Melbourne (@9NewsMelb) September 22, 2022
First Nations voices echoed around the country, with flags being burned and smeared with fake blood in a day of mourning. @elisabeth_moss9 #9News pic.twitter.com/bAqi742f1r
The Melbourne rally was one of several protests across Australia.
In Adelaide, a man was removed from Government House after he was heard chanting anti-monarchy slogans, while in Brisbane, a small group of protesters demanded an end to centuries of British "tyranny".
Another rally took place in Sydney, and a mural of the Queen in Marrickville was painted over with the black, red and yellow colours of the Aboriginal flag.
Federal parliament will return today, with both chambers passing a condolence motion for the late monarch and congratulating King Charles III on his accession to the throne.
It marks the return of parliament two weeks after the Queen's death on September 9. Parliament will also sit next week to make up for the lost days after it was postponed.
- With AAP.
Karl Stefanovic investigated by police for allegedly touching a waiter.
Karl Stefanovic is being investigated by police for allegedly touching a waiter at a charity event.
The waiter alleges the Today show host touched him at a Mercedes-Benz melanoma charity fundraiser in Brisbane, the Courier Mail reports.
Stefanovic attended the event with his wife Jasmine in August.
#BREAKING: Karl Stefanovic has been embroiled in a police investigation after a waiter alleged he was touched by the breakfast show star at a cancer fundraiser in Brisbane. Get the details 👉 https://t.co/lGqewioAgS pic.twitter.com/yiNOlxRGxa
— The Daily Telegraph (@dailytelegraph) September 22, 2022
"Queensland Police are investigating a report regarding the alleged assault of a man at a Newstead business during an event on Saturday, August 20," a spokesperson told the publication.
"As investigations are ongoing it would be inappropriate to comment further."
- With AAP.
Australia condemns Putin's nuclear threat, as some flee Russia.
Australia has branded the Russian president's threats to use nuclear weapons as unthinkable and irresponsible.
President Vladimir Putin ordered the mobilisation of 300,000 troops and warned the West he was prepared to use Russia's vast nuclear arsenal to defend its territory, declaring: "It's not a bluff."
Speaking in New York, Foreign Minister Penny Wong called on Russia to withdraw from Ukraine.
"We saw Mr Putin making threats to use all means at his disposal," she told reporters yesterday. "These threats are unthinkable and they are irresponsible. Claims of defending Russia's territorial integrity are untrue."
Australia condemns President Putin’s threats to use “all means" at his disposal. Claims of defending Russia's territorial integrity are untrue.
— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) September 21, 2022
Russia should immediately withdraw from Ukraine and cease its illegal, immoral aggression against Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy used an address to the United Nations to call for punishment.
"Punishment for the crime of aggression. Punishment for violation of borders and territorial integrity," he said. "Punishment that must be in place until the internationally recognised border is restored."
Meanwhile, some draft-age Russians have rushed to the borders to escape their country's biggest conscription drive since World War.
Others have taken to protesting, with anti-war rallies in 38 Russian cities resulting in more than 1300 people being arrested on Wednesday, a monitoring group said. Some of the detainees had been ordered to report to enlistment offices on Thursday, the first full day of conscription, according to independent news outlets.
- With AAP.
Why La Niña just won't leave us alone.
Recently, we were told that Australia is facing a third season of La Niña, a weather event that has led to difficult and even deadly times for some Australians.
In today's episode, we look at what exactly La Niña is, why it's here and what happens on the other side of it as we're warned to brace for more floods heading into 2023.
Missed yesterday's news feed? Catch up on what women were talking about here.
Feature Image: AAP/Sam Tabone/WireImage/Getty.