Origin Energy cyber attack traced to former Accenture employee in Manila

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has traced the cyberattack on energy company Origin Energy earlier this year to a former Accenture employee working at a Manila-based call centre that provided customer service support to Origin.

 

Origin Energy disclosed on June 22 that it identified a data security incident affecting its internal network. The company launched an investigation with external cybersecurity experts, secured affected systems, and notified relevant authorities, including the Australian Cyber Security Centre, Australian Federal Police, and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

 

In a seperate update, Origin Energy said its investigation has revealed that the threat actors who infiltrated its internal network stole customers’ data including their names, addresses, dates of birth, contact phone numbers, account information, as well as the last four digits of credit cards and the last three digits of a bank accounts.

 

While initially the company did not share the number of affected individuals, in a recent update, Origin CEO Frank Calabria said that the company has identified approximately 900,000 current and former customers affected by the incident.

 

Recently, ABC News reported that Australian authorities traced the Origin Energy cyberattack to a former Accenture employee at a Manila-based call centre in the Philippines.

 

Accenture, which operates an office in Manila, manages Origin’s call centre operations. According to reports, the individual allegedly attempted to extort money from the energy provider in exchange for returning the stolen data.

 

In a statement shared with ABC News, a spokesperson for Accenture said, “It is not appropriate for us to comment on Origin’s data security incident, which we understand remains under active investigation.”

 

Origin Energy also declined to comment, stating that the security breach remains under investigation as part of an ongoing criminal inquiry.

 

An Australian Federal Police (AFP) spokesperson told the news agency that the agency is working closely with Origin Energy and other relevant partners in response to the reported cyber incident. 

 

“AFP investigators are focused on gathering evidence, identifying those responsible, and disrupting any associated criminal activity. Origin Energy has been cooperative and transparent in its engagement with investigators and continues to provide assistance to the ongoing investigation,” the spokesperson added.