[Australia] Settlement reached over payroll hack

[Australia] Settlement reached over payroll hack
02 Dec 2022

The South Australian government has reached a settlement with a software company following a cyber attack that exposed the personal details of public sector workers, Mandurah Mail reports.

In 2021 it was revealed that the personal details of more than 80,000 current and former state government workers were accessed after the attack on external payroll provider Frontier Software.

The data accessed reportedly included names, tax file numbers, bank account details, dates of birth, payroll information and superannuation contributions.

In state parliament on December 1, Treasurer Stephen Mullighan announced that the government had this week reached a $1.75 million settlement with the company.

He said some of that money would be paid by the company before the end of the year and the rest would be recouped from fees charged by Frontier for ongoing payroll services.

It will reportedly serve as compensation and cover government expenses in responding to the attack.

Mr Mullighan said all affected employees had been directly notified and had been provided with assistance to mitigate any risks.

"Importantly there are still no confirmed cases of any impacted individuals suffering as a consequence of identity theft or fraud," the treasurer said.

Following the discovery of the 2021 attack, SA government employees were advised to contact their financial institutions and monitor statements for any unauthorised transactions.

They were also reportedly encouraged to consider additional security, by changing passwords or adding two-factor authorisation and to be alert to any emails, text messages or phone calls from people requesting personal or account information.


Source: Mandurah Mail

(Quotes via original reporting)

The South Australian government has reached a settlement with a software company following a cyber attack that exposed the personal details of public sector workers, Mandurah Mail reports.

In 2021 it was revealed that the personal details of more than 80,000 current and former state government workers were accessed after the attack on external payroll provider Frontier Software.

The data accessed reportedly included names, tax file numbers, bank account details, dates of birth, payroll information and superannuation contributions.

In state parliament on December 1, Treasurer Stephen Mullighan announced that the government had this week reached a $1.75 million settlement with the company.

He said some of that money would be paid by the company before the end of the year and the rest would be recouped from fees charged by Frontier for ongoing payroll services.

It will reportedly serve as compensation and cover government expenses in responding to the attack.

Mr Mullighan said all affected employees had been directly notified and had been provided with assistance to mitigate any risks.

"Importantly there are still no confirmed cases of any impacted individuals suffering as a consequence of identity theft or fraud," the treasurer said.

Following the discovery of the 2021 attack, SA government employees were advised to contact their financial institutions and monitor statements for any unauthorised transactions.

They were also reportedly encouraged to consider additional security, by changing passwords or adding two-factor authorisation and to be alert to any emails, text messages or phone calls from people requesting personal or account information.


Source: Mandurah Mail

(Quotes via original reporting)

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