Origin Energy knew of hack weeks before 900,000 customers impacted

Origin Energy reportedly knew its database had been hacked for about three weeks before going public about the breach, which impacted about 900,000 past and present customers.

The major energy provider’s chief executive, Frank Calabria, faced the media on Tuesday, stating that Origin had completed the first phase of its review into the security incident.

“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.

“Supporting affected customers is our key priority. We are contacting those customers whose information has been accessed and are providing support to them.”

Calabria confirmed that a review into the investigation was ongoing after stating they had been reviewing a “potential security threat” since early July, with initial fears that about 2 million customers were affected.

The hacker first compromised systems on July 2, but the energy provider waited until July 22 to release a statement.

“We have been investigating a potential security threat, but there was no information at that point in time that led to that being acted upon,” Calabria said.

He added that Origin is now working with cybersecurity and forensic experts to ensure it is an isolated incident and is taking steps to secure its system, with the boss confirming there was no indication the leaked info had made its way onto the dark web.

Origin confirmed last week that the compromised information may include customers’ names, addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers and account details.

Partial payment details such as the last four digits of credit cards or the last three of a bank account may also be compromised.

Origin first announced it was investigating the hack last Wednesday, when it said it was looking into what it described as a “potential security incident”.

The following day, it confirmed that a hack had taken place and that personal information had been stolen.

They have reportedly dismissed the employee believed to be behind the data breach.

The major energy provider has since told its customers to remain vigilant to suspicious activity and a growing risk of scams.

“We are acutely aware that others may exploit this incident, including by impersonating Origin or through other scam activity,” Calabria previously said.

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Origin is just one of several major Australian companies to be hit by a data breach in the last few years, following similar incidents at Optus, Qantas and Medibank.

According to Origin’s latest annual report, the retailer has about 4.7 million customers.

The company is one of the most valuable in Australia, with a market capitalisation of about $18 billion – more than any other energy retailer in the country.