Telstra’s already in the dog house with customers and the Privacy Commissioner after it left a database of user information publicly visible earlier this month. Now it seems a spreadsheet containing around 1500 names and email addresses was made accessible online for an unknown period of time.
According to a statement from Telstra, it killed the page within an hour of being notified and will be in contact with all affected users, which may be limited to bundled customers. The telco’s confident no financial details were featured, however, it is possible that customer phone numbers and addresses did appear.
How did the spreadsheet became available in the first place? Telstra provided Music Feeds with the following explanation:
We believe it was a spreadsheet put up by a consultant to use in training / coaching and was not malicious in intent. Telstra will inform the Privacy Commissioner, the TIO [Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman] and the ACMA [Australian Communications and Media Authority].
It looks like the commissioner is going to be a busy man and it’s doubtful this second privacy breach — within weeks of the previous one — will add positive vibes to his original report.
Are the breaches related, or simply a pair of unfortunate coincidences? Whatever’s going on, one would think Telstra needs to get its act together.
[Music Feeds, with The Australian]
Image: Music Feeds