Latitude

2023 - 3 - 27

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Image courtesy of "ABC News"

What's happening with the Latitude Financial cyber attack? Millions ... (ABC News)

The consumer finance company announced on Monday: 7.9 million Australian and New Zealand drivers licence numbers have been stolen; about 53,000 passport numbers ...

What's happening with the Latitude Financial cyber attack? Of this, the company said approximately 5.7 million, or 94 per cent, were provided before 2013. "Latitude Financial is cooperating with the government in responding to this incident, and we expect the company to continue to swiftly provide the government with all information it needs," Minister for Cyber Security "It remains our position that no customer should bear the cost of a data breach, and we are working with Latitude Financial to ensure that the customers affected by this attack are protected from immediate and future risks." It says it will "continue to work with the Australian Cyber Security Centre and our expert cyber security advisers." What is Latitude Financial doing about the security breach?

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Image courtesy of "WION"

Australian lending firm Latitude Financial says data of 14 million ... (WION)

Consumer finance provider Latitude Financial has said that cyber-criminals have leaked the personal data of around 14 million customers, in what is being ...

The firm said that it has not detected any cyberattack on its systems since March 16. “We are committed to working closely with impacted customers and applicants to minimise the risk and disruption to them, including reimbursing the cost if they choose to replace their ID document. On Monday, it acknowledged that the cyberattack was far worse than originally thought, and updated the figure to 14 million.

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Image courtesy of "7NEWS.com.au"

Cyber attack: 14 million customer records stolen from Latitude Group ... (7NEWS.com.au)

Customers had their data, including passport and drivers licence information, compromised in the hack a fortnight ago.

“We continue to work around the clock to safely restore our operations. We will never contact customers requesting their passwords, “he said. “Latitude Financial is cooperating with government in responding to this incident, and we expect the company to continue to swiftly provide the government with all information it needs.” Post jobs and search for local talent on “We urge all our customers to be vigilant and on the look-out for suspicious behaviour relating to their accounts. “We are writing to all customers, past customers and applicants whose information was compromised outlining details of the information stolen and our plans for remediation.”

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Image courtesy of "UPI.com"

Hackers steal millions of driver license numbers, personal records in ... (UPI.com)

Hackers have stolen the personal information of millions of people in Australia and New Zealand, consumer finance firm Latitude Holdings said Monday,

"There is a huge amount of work underway to help Australia catch up, and prepare for the future," she said. "We continue to work around the clock to safely restore our operations," Latitude CEO Ahmed Fahour said Monday. "We are rectifying platforms impacted in the attack and have implemented additional security monitoring as we return to operations in the coming days." "We are writing to all customers, past customers and applicants whose information was compromised outlining details of the information stolen and our plans for remediation." Latitude has said that it believes the cyberattack originated from a major vendor and involved the use of an employee's login credentials to steal personal information that was held by two other service providers. "We recognize that today's announcement will be a distressing development for many of our customers and we apologize unreservedly," the company said in

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Image courtesy of "SBS"

From 330000 to 14 million: Latitude Financial hack far worse than ... (SBS)

The cyber hack on Latitude Financial is far worse than originally thought with customer data stolen from around 14 million of its customers in Australia and ...

The buy-now-pay-later provider first announced the hack on March 16 and reported around 330,000 customers had their data accessed. The cyber hack on Latitude Financial is far worse than originally thought with customer data stolen from around 14 million of its customers in Australia and New Zealand. From 330,000 to 14 million: Latitude Financial hack far worse than first reports

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Image courtesy of "The West Australian"

Latitude Financial reveals millions of customer ID documents stolen ... (The West Australian)

Personal details of up to 14 million Australians have been caught up in the cyber-attack on financial services company Latitude Financial, now one of the ...

It claims to have compromised about 130 organisations linked to GoAnywhere, threatening to publish the purportedly stolen files unless the groups pay a financial ransom. Also caught in the Latitude hack are 53,000 passport numbers and 6.1 million records dating back to 2005 — including names, phone numbers, addresses and dates of birth. Personal details of up to 14 million Australians have been caught up in the cyber-attack on financial services company Latitude Financial that is now one of the largest in the nation’s history.

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Image courtesy of "ShareCafe"

Hacked Fintech Not Left with Much Latitude - ShareCafe (ShareCafe)

Of the 7.9 million driver licence numbers of Australian and New Zealand customers and applicants to have been stolen in the attack, 3.2 million were supplied in ...

We are also committed to a full review of what has occurred,” said Fahour who retires from his position on Friday. Separately, an additional 6.1 million records dating to at least 2005 were stolen, with the vast majority before 2005. The hacking is not the fault of anyone with a credit transaction with latitude and the likes of Harvey Norman. Latitude provides consumer finance services to Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, The Good Guys, Apple and recently signed up David Jones. Latitude and its retailer customers have not made any comment on the fate of the loans and other credit products advanced to shoppers – especially the interest free loans for the likes of Harvey Norman which had stringent requirements for the person taking out the credit. Of the 7.9 million driver licence numbers of Australian and New Zealand customers and applicants to have been stolen in the attack, 3.2 million were supplied in the last decade.

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Image courtesy of "ISBuzz News"

14 Million Customer Details Breached In Latitude Financial Firm (ISBuzz News)

The personal information of 14 million Australians and New Zealanders has been stolen due to a severe security breach in latitude financial group in the ...

Latitude Financial first asserted that the intrusion had only led to the loss of about 100,000 identity documents and 225,000 customer details. Ahmed Fahour, CEO of Latitude Financial, apologized to the clients who were negatively impacted by today’s revelation and called it “hugely upsetting.” A total of 53,000 passport numbers as well as the financial records of “fewer than 100 consumers,” were stolen. In a statement released today, the consumer lender with headquarters in Melbourne said that hackers stole 7.9 million driver’s license details from Australia and New Zealand, 40% of which had been provided to the business in the previous ten years. 94% of the 6.1 million more documents that were stolen, which dated back to 2005, were given before 2013. He stated, “The government must immediately offer calm, realistic information about the ramifications of the attack and any measures clients should take to lessen the hazard. He claimed that all online users must protect their personal information in the current environment, adding that Latitude’s clients should take extra precautions in the future. She stated, “The administration shares the annoyance and worry felt by many residents who believe that their data may now have been stolen on several occasions. The consumer loan company reported to the ASX on Monday that less than 100 customers had their monthly financial statements stolen. Systems at consumer lending company Latitude Group revealed on Monday that the information had been stolen from them after a theft discovered two weeks prior. The He said that customers would never receive a call from us asking for their credentials.

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Image courtesy of "Infosecurity Magazine"

Latitude Financial Admits Breach Impacted Millions (Infosecurity Magazine)

The Melbourne-headquartered consumer lender said in a statement today that hackers took 7.9 million Australian and New Zealand driver's licence numbers, 40% of ...

We are also committed to a full review of what has occurred,” We will never contact customers requesting their passwords.” An additional 6.1 million records dating back to 2005 were also stolen, of which 94% were provided before 2013. "We are committed to working closely with impacted customers and applicants to minimize the risk and disruption to them, including reimbursing the cost if they choose to replace their ID document. Some 53,000 passport numbers were also stolen, as were the financial statements related to “less than 100 customers.” The Melbourne-headquartered consumer lender said in a statement today that hackers took 7.9 million Australian and New Zealand driver’s licence numbers, 40% of which were submitted to the firm in the past 10 years.

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Image courtesy of "Newstalk ZB"

Australian correspondent: Latitude Finance hack more significant ... (Newstalk ZB)

It includes passport numbers and driver licence details, but it's feared that even more could be involved. Australian correspondent Donna Demaio told Kate ...

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Image courtesy of "Tech Monitor"

Latitude Group and Crown Resorts become latest Australian ... (Tech Monitor)

The Latitude Group CEO has described the incident as 'hugely disappointing' after millions of records were stolen in a cyberattack.

“This is a really fast-moving, rapidly evolving threat and for two years Australia has been behind pace,” he said. Records including names, addresses, telephone numbers and dates of birth of around 6.1 million customers were also lost to the hack. The information was allegedly obtained following a data breach at a file transfer service GoAnywhere. The company is more than 100 years old and reported revenue of AUS$790m last year. The news comes on the same day as the nation’s biggest casino operator, Crown Resorts, also announced it was investigating a breach after being contacted by a ransomware gang. An investigation is underway involving the Australian Federal Police and its Cyber Security Centre.

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Image courtesy of "ABC News"

Latitude Financial customers frustrated at lack of communication ... (ABC News)

With confirmation that millions of personal data files were stolen in Latitude Financial's cyber hack, customers past and present are growing tired of the ...

states that "entities must also take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify the personal information they hold once it is no longer needed for any purpose for which it may be used or disclosed under the APPs". "The fact that this basic question was not asked, and that the data of many former and prospective customers was kept, indicates a significant governance deficit." Latitude said the hackers then obtained the login detail of a Latitude employee, which was then used to steal customer records from two of Latitude's service providers. "This seems alarmingly similar to the way that Latitude is so far indicating that it was breached." "The other issue is that there is sometimes pressure from sales teams to keep data as a source of prospects. "I think part of the problem is that it's cheaper to keep data than to cleanse it properly," he said. "This requirement does not apply where the personal information is contained in a 'Commonwealth record' or where the entity is required by law or a court/tribunal order to retain the personal information." "They took over the company that my credit card was with in 2016, from the looks of the records," she said. Ms Birchall has had the misfortune of being involved in another data breach with a company she was a previous customer of, but said there was a substantial difference in communication strategies. Apart from being frustrated at a lack of communication from Latitude, Mr Johnston said he was also concerned about his data being held by the company for several years. Current and former customers of Latitude Financial are frustrated at the company's lack of communication and have questioned its data retention practices after the non-bank lender confirmed millions of its customers' personal records dating back to 2005 had been stolen in a cyber attack earlier this month. Amanda-Jo Birchall is a former customer of GE Money and Latitude, and shares Mr Johnston's frustration that the company has not contacted her about the breach.

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Image courtesy of "BankInfoSecurity.com"

Latitude Financial Admits 14M Customer Details Breached (BankInfoSecurity.com)

A hacking incident at Australian non-bank lender Latitude Financial affected a far greater number of individuals than initially disclosed, the company said ...

[update](https://www.latitudefinancial.com.au/about-us/media-releases/cybercrime-update-27-03-2023.html), the company says hackers stole approximately 7.9 million Australian and New Zealand driver's license numbers. The breach also affected an additional 6.1 million records, including names, addresses, phone numbers and birthdates in a database containing information dating back to at least 2005. Latitude Financial has said it will reimburse customers who replace their stolen IDs. The ongoing investigation has revealed hackers also stole 53,000 passport numbers. [called](https://twitter.com/ClareONeilMP/status/1640236536024408064) the latest announcement "deeply concerning" to the Australian government. [Cybercrime](https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/cybercrime-c-416) , [Fraud Management & Cybercrime](https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/fraud-management-cybercrime-c-409) , [Incident & Breach Response](https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/incident-breach-response-c-40)

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Image courtesy of "The Sydney Morning Herald"

Latitude hit with class action, corporates slammed for lax data security (The Sydney Morning Herald)

The growing backlash against lax corporate cybersecurity in Australia has hit Latitude Financial with a class action being launched following its recent ...

“We were recently contacted by a ransomware group who claim they have illegally obtained a limited number of Crown files. The Government shares the frustration and concern experienced by many citizens who fear their data may now have been stolen on multiple occasions,” she said. “It’s clear that existing privacy protections are ineffective and must be changed. Organisations have had more than enough time to take action on their own, and have chosen not to. This includes the driver’s licence numbers of 7.9 million Australian and New Zealand customers. The OAIC is formally investigating

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Image courtesy of "Cyber Security Connect"

Latitude Financial may be facing legal action; AFP expands ... (Cyber Security Connect)

Just a day after announcing the severity of its March 16 data breach, Latitude Financial is already staring down the barrel of a potential class action.

“Improved cyber security practises from organisations have presented a significant technical and organisational overhead to threat actors, and the benefits of using it are rapidly declining.” At this time, the AFP has found no evidence that the Latitude data has been leaked. But on 27 March, Latitude Financial announced that the hack affected over 14 million customer records, making it the largest data breach yet for an Australian company.

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Image courtesy of "1 News"

Over 1 million NZ driver licence numbers caught up in Latitude hack (1 News)

The breach has affected past and present licence cards, with customers urged to be on the lookout for scams.

The company is also reassessing the number of New Zealand passports exposed in the hack, which was previously reported to be 1342. A spokesperson for the company confirmed that 1,037,000 New Zealand licence numbers have been caught up in the breach. 1News can reveal that more than 1 million past and present New Zealand drivers licences have been exposed as part of the Latitude Financial hack.

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Image courtesy of "The Australian Financial Review"

David Jones says no delay on new Latitude credit card (The Australian Financial Review)

The upmarket department store and Latitude penned a new 10- year partnership deal in January, but my March Latitude was grappling with a major data breach.

[Carrie LaFrenz](/by/carrie-lafrenz-11bwz7)is a senior journalist covering retail/consumer goods. By March, Latitude was [grappling with one of the biggest data breaches in Australia, revealing this week](https://www.afr.com/technology/latitude-breach-now-one-of-the-biggest-in-australian-history-20230327-p5cvjr) that 7.9 million driver’s licence numbers of Australian and New Zealand customers and applicants were stolen. Connect with Carrie on [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) [changed hands on Monday,](https://www.afr.com/companies/retail/how-anchorage-capital-plans-to-turn-around-fortunes-of-david-jones-20230321-p5ctw1) with new owners Anchorage Capital Partners taking control from South Africa’s Woolworths. We are in constant communication with Latitude in terms of our strategic partnership going forward,” he said. “I can reassure you – and our customers – that there’s no David Jones customer data or credit card data, or any breach of data between Latitude and David Jones customers, since we have only signed the deal, and we haven’t even started on the project.”

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Image courtesy of "9News"

Millions of hacked customers could sue Latitude (9News)

Millions of Latitude Financial customers may have the chance to take civil action against the hacked company if their sensitive data was stolen in a major ...

[held onto personal records of deceased people](https://www.9news.com.au/national/nsw-newcastle-widower-angry-his-dead-wife-information-stolen-in-optus-hack/5a33be43-6164-4bf2-bb8d-5164d11a7b4c), years after they had been notified of the deaths, and their details were stolen by hackers. Latitude said some of the personal records affected were "at least" as old as 2005. "Latitude customers deserve to understand their legal rights and the steps that have been taken to protect their personal data." Major recent cyberattacks of Optus and Medibank have exposed little-known sides of business practices, including the retention of personal records for decades. Gordon Legal's James Naughton said his firm was "deeply concerned" about the impact of the data breach on Latitude customers. Millions of Latitude Financial customers may have the chance to take civil action against the hacked company if their sensitive data was stolen in a

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