Origin Energy hack traced to Accenture's Manila office, exposing nearly a million Australians

A significant cyberattack that compromised the personal data of almost one million Australians has been traced to a call center in Manila, Philippines. The breach affected Origin Energy customers, many of whom have expressed fear and frustration over the lack of detailed information provided by the company.

Investigations have connected the security breach to a former employee of Accenture, a company that manages call centers for Origin Energy, based in Manila. Reports suggest the individual attempted to extort Origin Energy for money in exchange for the return of the stolen customer information. Accenture has confirmed details of the report but declined to comment, while Origin Energy also refused to comment due to an ongoing criminal investigation.

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We have now completed the initial phase of our review into Origin's customer data security incident. To our customers, I am sorry. We don't take for granted the trust customers place in Origin and our safeguarding of their information.

Last month, a hacker sent a sample of 50 customer records, including names, addresses, emails, dates of birth, phone numbers, and billing histories, to The Australian newspaper. Origin Energy subsequently alerted authorities, estimating that the information of approximately 900,000 current and former customers was accessed. This incident marks the latest in a series of major data breaches affecting Australian companies, following similar events at Qantas in 2025, and Optus and Medibank in 2022.

Origin Energy became aware of a potential security threat in early July but initially dismissed it. The company has since urged customers to be vigilant against scams and has made specialist identity and cyber support services available. Origin CEO Frank Calabria apologized to customers in July, acknowledging the breach and stating the company's commitment to safeguarding customer information. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) confirmed they are working with Origin Energy and partners to gather evidence, identify those responsible, and disrupt criminal activity, noting Origin Energy's cooperation.

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AFP investigators are focused on gathering evidence, identifying those responsible, and disrupting any associated criminal activity.