Fears for Australia’s rich and famous as real estate agency in nation’s most exclusive beachside suburb is hacked and sensitive details published online
- LJ Hooker has been targeted by a second hack in two months to hit the industry
- Staff information from one Palm Beach office has already been published online
- Only one office’s data was breached out of the three in the exclusive suburb
- The ritzy postcode in Sydney boasts a median house price range of $4.7million
- An LJ Hooker spokeswoman said customers have been notified of the breach
- The franchise is working out what customer data has been affected by it
Real estate agents LJ Hooker has been hacked at an office in one of its most prestigious postcodes with information already up for sale on the dark web.
About 375GB of sensitive data was exposed to hackers at an office in Palm Beach, the billionaires’ beachside holiday home suburb on Sydney‘s Northern Beaches.
Staff information has already published online, including passport details, sparking fears sensitive details of customers, including those just passing through for an inspection, could be compromised.
About 375GB of sensitive data was exposed to hackers at an office in Palm Beach, the billionaires’ beachside holiday home suburb on Sydney’s Northern Beaches (pictured)
A spokeswoman for the real estate heavyweight said customers had been contacted over the breach.
‘An LJ Hooker office was recently alerted to a data breach,’ she told News Corp.
‘They took immediate action working with their IT provider to understand what customer data was affected and notified their customers of the breach.
‘They also notified the relevant government cyber and data bodies,
‘The office will continue to liaise with their customers and evaluate and employ the best in systems and procedures to ensure protection of their customers data.’
The spokeswoman did not reveal the extent of the breach but insisted data security at the independently-owned and operated offices is ‘regarded with the utmost importance’.
The franchise has three offices in the exclusive suburb, which boasts the median house price range of $4.7million, but only one of the agencies has been targeted.
It has 19 staff working across the area, with Principal David Edwards heading operations, said.
LJ Hooker has not revealed who the hacker was.
The franchise has three offices (including the one pictured) in the exclusive suburb of Palm Beach which boasts the median house price range of $4.7million
The real estate giant was established in 1928 and has since become one of the largest real estate networks, with 430 offices across the country.
It comes after a Harcourts real estate office in Melbourne was attacked by cyber criminals last October, possibly revealing the personal details of tenants, trades and landlords to hackers, the Sydney Morning Herald said.
The hacks have also sparked concern over the safety of tenants’ private information, as well as those passing through applying for rental properties.
Leo Patterson Ross for the Tenants’ Union of NSW said renters have very little choice in handing over their personal details to real estates.
‘Even when you don’t get the property (and) you don’t get to move in – that data’s sitting there,’ he said.
‘It’s a very attractive place for criminals to try and gain access to people’s personal information.’
The real estate giant was established in 1928 and has since become one of the largest real estate network in the country
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