Consumers of a popular Australian supplement brand are being alerted about the possibility that the company's hack exposed their personal data.
In an email obtained by NCA NewsWire, Elite Supplements notified clients that the business had experienced a cyberattack that "gave one or more unknown parties access" to certain online customer information.
After learning of the possible breach for the first time on January 30, the firm acted "extremely seriously" and informed its customers on Saturday just after 6 p.m.
Customers may, however, feel secure knowing that the hack did not access any passwords, credit cards, or other financial information. Instead, the attackers stole names, shipping addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers of online customers.
“Our intent was to verify that a breach occurred and to determine as much as possible what data was used before alerting customers,” Elite Supplements told customers in an email. “We have begun notifying relevant government authorities and the company is fully compliant with our reporting obligations under cybersecurity legislation.
“Elite Supplements deeply regrets this incident, despite the significant investments we have made in cybersecurity. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience or distress the breach may have caused our customers,” the company further stated.
The business stated that since hiring a cybersecurity provider, the data it possesses has been secured. Customers were advised in the email to be cautious of any correspondence from Elite Supplements going forward, as information had been acquired during the breach.
Rise in cybercrimes
Cybercrime remains a problem in Australia. One major worry is frauds; as of 2022, Australians had lost more than $48 million to investment scams. Scams have cost victims around $72 million in total in 2022. Furthermore, 1 in 4 Australians have experienced identity theft.
Generally speaking, Australians are among the wealthiest people on the planet. A study of the median wealth per adult put Australians at the top of the affluent list, with a median worth of $273,900 – ahead of Belgium ($267,890) and New Zealand ($231,260). This may help to understand why Australian people and businesses are the target of cybercriminals.
A significant data breach at Optus, a telecommunications business, took place in September 2022, affecting about 2.1 million users. 9.8 million individual records—including names, dates of birth, residences, and, in certain situations, passport numbers—were pilfered. However, the hack failed to access any financial data.