Lessons from major data breaches

Optus, Medibank, Latitude Financial and Qantas made headlines after major data breaches exposed the personal information of millions of people. The causes are often surprisingly ordinary: an unpatched system, stolen login details, weak access controls, or a third party with excessive access. The series covers major incidents in Australia and overseas. Each article in this series explains what happened, what went wrong and what businesses of any size can learn from it. The same weaknesses that affect large organisations can also exist in small businesses - usually with fewer resources available to detect and respond to them.

Articles are researched using authoritative Australian government, regulatory and industry sources and follow our editorial and fact-checking policy.

Written by Elena Osipova, CPA and emerging cyber security practitioner - learn more about Elena →

Australian breaches

These major Australian data breaches exposed the personal information of millions of people and put cyber security on the front page. Each story explains what happened, how the breach occurred and what Australian businesses can do to avoid similar mistakes.

What the Latitude Financial Breach Teaches Small Businesses

Stolen employee credentials led one of Australia's largest data breaches, affecting 14 millions of customer records. Learn how excessive data retention and weak access controls increased the impact.

What the Medibank Breach Teaches Small Businesses

The Medibank breach made headlines, but the security weaknesses behind it are not limited to large organisations. Learn what happened and what small businesses can do to reduce similar risks.

Would your business be ready for a data breach?

Many serious cyber incidents begin with common security gaps. Use our DIY cyber security health check → to identify areas that may need attention. It is written for Australian small business owners, and no technical knowledge is required.

Explore the series:

Cyber security for small businesses →. Practical guides covering common security mistakes, cyber threats and privacy obligations affecting Australian small businesses.