An ex Accenture worker from Manila is suspected to be behind last month's security breach. Accenture has an office in the city, which supports the energy business in Origin with its customer call centres. It was alleged by a Nine report that the worker attempted to extort the energy provider for money, for its return of the stolen information.
When approached by ABC News, an Accenture representative said it would be inappropriate to comment on Origin's data security incident. It stated that it is under active investigation. Origin Energy also refused to comment, citing that the breach is the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation.
It was revealed the extent of the incident was apparent when, last month, an The Australian reported a hacker had supplied a sample of 50 customer records including names, addresses, emails, dates of birth, phone numbers and billing histories.
Origin Energy reported it to the authorities a potential data breach. The company later told the Business it believed the information of up to 900,000 current and former customers had been accessed.
Origin customers told the ABC they felt their personal data could have been breached and expressed frustration with not being given enough detail on the nature of the incident.
It is the latest in a series of major cybersecurity incidents affecting Australian companies. Qantas suffered a significant hack in 2025, while Optus and Medibank both experienced mass data breaches in 2022.
Origin confirmed it became aware of a potential security threat in early July, but did not initially take it seriously. It has advised affected customers to be on guard against scams and said specialist identity and cyber support services are available.
Origin chief executive Frank Calabria addressed the incident in July, saying the company had completed the first of its review into the customer data security breach. It apologised to customers for placing trust in Origin to safeguard its information.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) confirmed it is working closely with Origin Energy and relevant partners after the reported cyber incident.
An AFP spokesperson said the focus of investigators is on gathering evidence, identifying those responsible and disrupting any associated criminal activity. It added Origin Energy has been cooperative and transparent in its engagement with investigators, and continues to assist the ongoing investigation.
No information has yet been released about possible charges against the former Accenture employee identified by the investigation.
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