Examining Phishing Attempts on Data Breach Victims

Data breaches are an everyday occurrence, exposing the personal details of millions globally. The victim impacts of data breaches can be considerable, including a range of financial harms such as fraud and identity crime, as well as non-financial harms, such as declines in emotional and psychological wellbeing. While these harms are documented, there is less research exploring how data breaches in particular expose victims to further victimisation, specifically through phishing attacks by offenders. Using survey data from 2,019 victims of the Optus and Medibank/AHM data breaches in Australia in 2022, this article examines factors which relate to phishing attempts on these individuals. Results indicate limited factors in predicting those targeted by phishing attempts. This highlights the opportunistic nature of phishing attacks in the aftermath of these two data breaches and a more generalised approach taken by offenders to gain additional details. It also demonstrates a need for continued community education and awareness to protect further personal information from being accessed by offenders into the future.