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Optus customers affected by data breach do not need new passports, chief executive says

Telecommunications provider Optus says customers affected by the data breach at the telco do not need to apply for a new passport. 

Passports, drivers licences and Medicare card details were released when a hacker claimed to have accessed the data of 9.8 million current and former customers.

Customers who needed to change both their licence and Medicare details were contacted in early October.

Optus chief executive Kelly Bayer Rosmarin told the ABC on Friday it was thanks to a number of government agencies that people could now "continue with their travel plans and feel safe and secure".

"Thanks to great work from three different government departments that we've been working with closely for the last couple of weeks, we've been able to put in the right safeguards for customers.

"That means that no customer whose had a passport number exposed needs to chase a passport." 

Ms Rosmarin also defended the telco's response to the data breach, refuting claims the company had charged customers looking to leave.

"I don't know where stories like this come from. Most of our customers are not even on contracts anymore," she said.

"We want customers to choose to be with Optus, to choose to stay with Optus." 

The attack, one of the biggest data leaks in Australian history, has seen agencies combining efforts. 

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has launched an investigation that will look at the company's handling of customers' data. 

The OAIC will also work with the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) along with the Australian Cyber Security Centre. 

Ms Rosmarin confirmed the company's own investigation was also underway.

"We spend millions of dollars and employ teams of people whose daily job it is to prevent attacks like this from getting through.

"We are extremely disappointed that one got through and we have commissioned an external independent review to get to the bottom of how that could possibly happen.

"So we can learn from it and do better in the future."

The Department of Home Affairs has also set up a Commonwealth Credential Protection Register to help stop personal information from being used fraudulently.

"The register will prevent compromised identity credentials from being verified through the Document Verification Service," the department said on its website.

"The Document Verification Service is used by government agencies and businesses, such as banks, to verify an individual's identity online.

"However, this means rightful owners will not be able to use them online. New credentials issued following the data breach will work as normal."

The identity of the hacker remains unknown after 10,000 customer details were released and later deleted from the dark web. 

teenager from Rockdale in Sydney's south was arrested in early October. 

His arrest was the first linked to the cyber attack, but it was in connection to using the illegally obtained data to blackmail residents, not the hack itself.

Police are accusing the teen of texting 93 people on an early released list and threatening to use their personal information for a financial crime unless they paid a ransom of $2,000.

He's been charged with using a telecommunication network with the intent to commit blackmail and dealing with identification information.

The offence carries a maximum prison term of 10 years. He's due to appear in Sydney Central Court at a later date.

Optus says it is continuing to work with the Australian Federal Police to track down those responsible for the attack.

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