Qantas among 40 major companies caught up in major extortion attempt by hackers

Qantas has been caught up in a major cyber-security attack involving the personal information of customers from about 40 major companies.

Cybercriminals claim to have stolen a huge cache of records after targeting technology giant Salesforce and dozens of big-name businesses that use its software.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Qantas caught up in major cyber-security headache.

Hacker collective Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters is now reportedly pressuring the likes of Toyota, Disney, Ikea and Qantas to pay up, giving them until Friday to begin negotiations on a ransom.

The Australian carrier confirmed it was one of the dozens of companies listed by the group on the dark web in recent days and said it is providing ongoing support for customers.

“We continue to offer a 24/7 support line and specialist identity protection advice to affected customers,” Qantas said on Tuesday evening.

“We have also put in place additional security measures, increased training across our teams and strengthened system monitoring and detection since the incident occurred.”

It is understood the stolen data was taken between April 2024 and September 2025 and includes date of births, passport numbers and purchases.

One of the hackers, who identified themselves as Shiny, told Reuters they did not directly hack Salesforce, but targeted its customers using “vishing,” or voice phishing, a form of attack in which hackers impersonate employees to IT help desks over the phone.

According to Help New Security, the group has threatened to work with lawyers taking action against Salesforce and release information that allegedly shows the company did little to prevent breaches of personal information.

Australian government agencies are investigating, and the airline has obtained an ongoing injunction through the NSW Supreme Court to try and prevent the stolen data being accessed or published.