Origin Energy has confirmed that hackers accessed customer data including names, addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers and some bank account details, in a breach affecting an unknown number of its 4.8 million Australian customer accounts. The incident matters because it is the latest in a string of major data breaches at Australian companies, raising fresh concerns about identity theft, targeted scams and even physical crimes such as burglary, according to cybersecurity experts.

The company said the stolen data may include incomplete card or bank details, such as the last four digits of a credit card or last three digits of a bank account, which it says cannot be used to make purchases or access accounts. A person claiming responsibility for the hack has told media outlets, without verification, that 2 million customers were affected. Origin's chief executive, Frank Calabria, apologised and said the firm was working with cyber experts and authorities, including the Australian Cyber Security Centre, the federal police and the privacy commissioner, to secure its systems. The breach follows other high-profile incidents, including a Qantas hack last October affecting 5 million customers, with Australia's privacy regulator recording 1,205 data breach notifications in 2025.