Energy giant Origin Energy has fired an employee believed to be connected to one of Australia’s biggest potential data breaches, after unauthorised access to its customer systems was discovered.
The breach was publicly confirmed by Origin after a person claiming responsibility — describing themselves as a “self‑styled hacker” — contacted media with a sample of stolen records. Reports suggest up to two million customers’ personal data may have been accessed, although Origin has not independently verified the full total.
Affected information is believed to include names, addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, account details and partial financial digits, such as the last few numbers of credit cards or bank accounts. While incomplete financial data can’t be used for transactions, cybersecurity experts warn it may fuel scams, identity‑theft attempts and phishing attacks.
Origin’s chief executive apologised to customers and said cyber specialists and law enforcement agencies — including the Australian Cyber Security Centre and federal police — are assisting with the probe. The company has set up support lines for potentially affected customers and is working to secure systems against further unauthorised access.
The former employee’s credentials are understood to have been central to the incident, prompting their dismissal as the breach was investigated. Origin continues its internal and external investigations to clarify the extent of the access and prevent similar incidents.
