Ten thousand Optus customers will be provided new protection measures as part of Operation Guardian, announced by the Australian Federal Police.
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It comes as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that Optus will cover the cost of passport replacements.
"Optus have responded to my request that I made in parliament and that Senator Wong made in writing to Optus and they will cover the costs to replace affected customers' passports. It's entirely appropriate," he said.
Meanwhile, the joint partnership between law enforcement, the private sector and industry will focus on key measures to help shield affected customers.
This will include identifying the 10,000 individuals across Australia who are now at risk of identity fraud after potentially having 100 points of identification released online.
AFP Assistant Commissioner Cyber Command Justine Gough said while a post on an online forum advertising the stolen data for sale had been removed, other criminals may have access to some, or all, of the data.
"Cybercrime is the break and enter of the 21st century. And we encourage all Australians to be extra vigilant about their online security at this time," Assistant Commissioner Gough said.
Optus has advised the AFP that 9.8 million customer records have been impacted in the breach.
Huge queues were forming outside of Services SA Marion today as impacted customers seek to replace drivers licenses, which were involved in the data hack.
Social media users also shared footage of long queues to replace Medicare cards outside of Centrelink.
Police are no closer to identifying the culprit of the hack, who has used obfuscation techniques to hide their identity.
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The AFP is encouraging the public to look out for suspicious activity across online accounts including telcos, bank and utilities. They have also advised not to click on any email claiming to be from Optus and to hang up immediately if someone calls claiming to be from Optus, police, bank or another organisation and offers to help you with the data breach.
"Operation Guardian should send a clear warning to cybercriminals. The AFP, state and territory police plus other agencies through the JPC3 have a laser-like focus, plus a significant number of resources and legislative powers, to identify cybercrime targets," Assistant Commissioner Gough said.
The police are encouraging all members of the public who believe they have been a victim of Cybercrime to report it to ReportCyber at cyber.gov.au.
Operation Guardian is also offering assistance from IDCARE if you believe you have experienced identity theft. Anyone involved in the breach can book a time in with an IDCARE Case Manager via their Get Help for Individuals online form at IDCARE.org.
with Australian Associated Press
