Australia plans privacy rule changes after Optus cyber attack

SYDNEY: Australia plans changes to its privacy rules so that banks can be alerted faster following cyber attacks at companies, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday, after hackers targeted Australia’s second-largest telecommunications firm.

Optus, owned by Singapore Telecommunications Ltd, last week revealed databases containing home addresses, drivers licences and passport numbers of up to 10 million customers – about 40% of Australia’s population – were compromised in one of the biggest data breaches in the country.