Qantas disclosed a cybersecurity incident on July 2 potentially affecting 6 million customers. Ryan Fletcher/Getty Images
Qantas has been contacted by a cyber criminal claiming responsibility for the data breach that affected 6 million customers.
A company spokesperson confirmed Qantas is working to validate this, adding that since it's a criminal matter, the company "won't be commenting any further on the detail of the contact." There's also no evidence that any of the stolen information has been released, the company said in an email.
Bad actors gained access to customers' names, email addresses, phone numbers, birthdates and frequent flyer numbers via a third-party platform used by a Qantas call center. In the wrong hands, this data could lead to phishing attacks and eventually, identity theft or fraud.
Credit card details, personal financial information and passport details are not held in the breached system, according to Qantas.
"We sincerely apologise to our customers and we recognise the uncertainty this will cause." CEO Vanessa Hudson said in a statement. "We are contacting our customers today and our focus is on providing them with the necessary support."
Qantas is Australia's largest airline, with frequent international flights serving Europe, Asia and the US.
Qantas is working with local Australian authorities and specialized cybersecurity experts to investigate the incident detected on June 30. Customers can contact Qantas dedicated support line on 1800-971-541 or +61 2 8028 0534.
Qantas did not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment.
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