Mobile network carrier Singapore Telecommunications is dealing with its second Australian subsidiary data breach in a handful of weeks now that IT consultancy Dialog Group has seen some of its internal data published on the dark web.
The two incidents are joined by a third affecting the global communications giant – a hacker forum posting containing 74 gigabytes of data purporting to include confidential company documents, employee email addresses, work orders, stock requisition and business application forms and more.
Dialog is probing the unauthorized access of company data, which could affect up to 20 clients and around 1,000 current and former Dialog employees.
Singtel’s first breach occurred at telecom provider Optus following an incident in which the personal information of 9.8 million Australians was potentially exposed after the company detected “unusual activity” on its network.
The Singapore company says the two Australian incidents appear unrelated. Singtel acquired Optus in 2001, and it added Dialog to its portfolio in an AU$325 transaction that closed in April.
Dialog says it detected an undisclosed threat actor’s malicious activity on Sept. 10 and shut them down as a precautionary measure. Last Friday, it says, it became aware “that a very small sample” of company data, including some employee personal information, was available on the dark web.
