Australian financial company, Latitude Group Holdings, has announced a cyberattack in which attackers stole 7.9 million driver rights of inhabitants in Australia and New Zealand. Operations of the company were also put on hold. Reuters reported on March 27, 2023, that the attack became known initially on March 16 when hackers stole 103 thousand driver rights. Further analysis discovered that the number had reached 7.9 million.
The company also reported that the hackers had gained access to over 6 million customer records for the period from 2005 to 2013 and 53 thousand passport numbers. Latitude Group Holdings described it as a “very disturbing event” and is conducting an internal investigation to clarify the causes and circumstances of the incident.
Following the announcement, broker reports indicate investors were afraid the risk could be worse than previously expected. This fear caused Latitude shares to fall by 2.5%, while the general market remained unchanged (axjo). The company has reassured investors that its insurance covers these risks, but investors typically tend to assume the worst, according to Matt Simpson, Senior Market Analyst at City Index.
Latitude Group Holdings Limited, a financial corporation that specializes in consumer loans, credit cards, mortgage loans, insurance, and other financial products in Australia and New Zealand, has experienced the cyberattack.