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Firstmac confirms customer data was compromised in an attack by the EMBARGO ransomware gang.
Aussie lender Firstmac has released a statement outlining the impact of a cyber attack by the EMBARGO ransomware group.
EMBARGO claimed responsibility for the hack on 30 April, not long after Firstmac revealed that it had first experienced a “cyber incident” in the days before. EMBARGO then published more than 500 gigabytes of stolen data – including customer account details – on 8 May.
“We recently experienced a cyber incident where an unauthorised third party accessed a limited part of our IT system,” the statement, published on Saturday, 11 May, said.
“As soon as we detected the incident, we took steps to immediately secure the affected system and began working with cyber security experts to investigate what happened.”
According to Firstmac, the company’s systems are up and running, and all business operations are proceeding as normal. However, Firstmac has confirmed that customer data has, in fact, been compromised.
“Unfortunately, our ongoing investigation has identified evidence that some personal information of some of our customers has been accessed,” Firstmac said.
“We are notifying all impacted individuals directly and providing steps that they can take to protect themselves from scams or phishing attempts, in line with our regulatory obligations.”
Firstmac has said it has engaged cyber support service IDCARE to assist impact customers free of charge but recommends that any customer who has received a letter read it carefully.
“If you have received a letter from us, we recommend you carefully review the contents of the letter, which outlines the support available, including IDCARE, and the steps you may consider taking to limit the potential impact of the breach, based on the types of information impacted for you,” Firstmac said.
Firstmac also has a message for its brokers and other partners – let Firstmac do the talking.
“If you are not one of our customers, it is important to note there is no action required from you, as we are directly notifying impacted individuals,” Firstmac said.
“We kindly ask that you do not proactively reach out to organisations or individuals about this incident, so [as] not to cause confusion or alarm to our customers who are not affected.”
Firstmac has engaged the “relevant authorities” and is continuing to investigate the incident. Firstmac has not yet divulged how many of its customers have been impacted.
The lender was only EMBARGO’s second victim, making the gang relatively new. The hackers claim to have also accessed “source code” belonging to Firstmac, as well as customer records.
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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