Hackers Exposed Government Data in Breach of Telstra’s Pacnet

Telstra Corp. said hackers left government data vulnerable to theft by stealing passwords in an attack on its Pacnet unit before the Australia-based carrier completed an acquisition of the undersea cable network April 16.

Pacnet customers including the Australian Federal Police and other government agencies were left exposed by the breach, Mike Burgess, Telstra’s chief information security officer, told a media call Wednesday. The security issue with Pacnet’s corporate network was addressed April 3, he said. He declined to say which government, or governments, were affected.