Personal Data of 200,000 Drivers Stolen in Major Hack
Synopsis
Sydney-based financial technology company youX was hacked last week hacked with an attacker making off with personal details on more than 444,000 Australians. Driver’s licence numbers, home addresses, income details and government ID information have been stolen from almost 800 mortgage broker companies that use the youX platform. The organisation has acknowledged the breach and is in the process of notifying those affected. Australians who have used a mortgage broker are advised to contact their lenders, change their passwords and consider applying for a new driver’s licence card number.
The personal details of hundreds of thousands of Australians, including driver’s licence numbers, addresses and other sensitive info are in the wild after it was revealed on Friday that a commercial tool used to collate government data has been compromised.
Key Highlights
- A Sydney company youX had its systems hacked and had the personal details of 444,538 individuals
- More than 229,226 driver’s licence numbers were stolen in the hack
- The stolen data was obtained from almost 800 mortgage broker firms that use the youX platform
- Personal details that were exposed include home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, salary information and government IDs
What Happened and Who Was Hit
Last week, a company called youX, which offers behind-the-scenes technology to mortgage brokers all over Australia was hacked. The attacker entered the company’s systems uninvited and walked off with a huge trove of personal details for hundreds of thousands of ordinary Australians. These were not individuals who had a direct relationship with youX, they were customers of mortgage brokers that used youX’s platform to handle their loan applications.
The hacker have lifted the records of 444,538 individuals. The information includes the names, home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, income related-information, debts and government ID numbers. Additionally, more than 229,226 driver’s licence numbers were exposed. The information had been collected by nearly 800 other brokerages from around the country, which trusted youX to be secure with their clients’ data.
What the Hacker Told and How youX Acts
The attacker issued a public statement indicating in no uncertain terms that they blamed you for leaving the door unlocked. The full scope of what was taken is still being taken and it’s even possible that more will be revealed as the investigation progresses.
YouX publicly acknowledged the breach, stating that it had discovered that an unauthorised third party had obtained access to its systems. The company said it learned that the attacker had made some of the stolen data available, and that personal information was likely exposed. YouX has also added additional security checks and monitoring to its systems since finding the breach. The company has also kept Australia’s privacy regulator, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, up-to-date on its progress and says it will start informing affected individuals.
What You Should Do Right Now
If you have ever applied for a home loan or used a mortgage broker in Australia, there is potential for your information to be caught up in this breach even if you are not familiar with youX. Experts and officials are urging those who believe they might be involved to reach out to any banks or lenders they’ve done business with and ask whether those companies use the youX platform.
Beyond that, changing your online passwords, especially for banking and financial accounts, isn’t a bad idea. Australians in all states and territories also have the ability to request a new driver’s licence card number as a precautionary measure, which effectively makes the stolen licence details useless for anyone who tries to exploit them. This doesn’t mean obtaining a brand new licence, just a new card number which you can apply for through your state or territory’s licensing authority.
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