Australian Origin Energy confirms data breach

Australian energy giant Origin Energy has confirmed a cybersecurity breach in which a hacker gained unauthorized access to the private information of some customers. The company, which supplies electricity, natural gas, and broadband to more than 4.7 million customers nationally, announced the breach on July 23, 2026, and is working to determine the full scope of the incident.

The compromised data may include customer names, addresses, dates of birth, contact phone numbers, account information, and partial financial details. Origin stated that the impacted information includes the final four digits of credit card numbers and the final six digits of bank account numbers, but emphasized that this incomplete data cannot be used to make purchases or directly access accounts. The company is contacting affected customers individually to offer support and has established a dedicated contact number.

The confirmation follows an investigation launched after an alleged hacker, identifying as "John Doe," contacted media outlets earlier in the week. The individual claimed to have accessed the personal details of over two million Origin customers and threatened to publish the entire dataset...