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Commentary and happenings in the world of Information Technology

Happy Holidays! See you in 2024

December 7, 2023

As 2023 comes to a close, we would like to thank all the business and staff we’ve worked with this year!

This year Supportedge will be taking a break from the 22nd of December through to the 5th of January. During this time we will be on-hand for any business-critical issues, just leave a message by ringing our phone 02 8007 2930.

We would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy new Year!


Optus data breach, leak and hack. These are all our problems now.

September 29, 2022

IMPORTANT: The information below is specific to our clients. If you are not a Supportedge client, please contact your service provider for specific information to your situation.

IMPORTANT: This information was updated 30th September 2022 and should be considered out of date as of 1st October 2022.


Supportedge has NEVER partnered with Optus to deliver services to our clients. Nothing purchased from Supportedge will be affected by this data breach. But we do understand our clients purchase products and services directly from suppliers and this is where the information below may help.

But Supportedge does partner with telecom providers who do wholesale Optus products. This is not a concern for our clients. Our telecom partners don’t forward on client information to Optus. Our largest partner who resells Optus services is Exetel. Exetel have been proactively switching to Telstra products for over a year now and very few of our clients are still using Optus infrastructure via Exetel.

Supportedge has been monitoring this situation closely and delaying the advice below waiting on more detailed information from the government and Optus. The breach was announced 7 days ago but information is not forthcoming. We have made the following recommendations with this in mind.

Government information is here: https://www.oaic.gov.au/updates/news-and-media/advice-on-optus-data-breach and here https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/types-of-scams/recent-scam-activity/optus-data-breach-scams

Optus information is here: https://www.optus.com.au/support/cyberattack


Here is what we do and don’t know about the breach.

Optus announced a massive data breach on 22nd September 2022. Potentially the biggest breach in Australian history. Optus reports the breach was discovered by unusual network traffic and was stopped at this time. This is consistent with how most breaches are discovered. However, we have not been able to find a public release of the time the breach started. It’s unlikely to have started when Optus announced the attack.

Optus have reported the data breach effects 9.8 million current and past customers from 2017 to now.

Optus have advised, as a precaution to keep alert from scammers contacting you. We should be doing this all the time anyway, but this won’t help in this situation. If what Optus are saying is correct, the attackers already have more than enough information to do damage. They don’t need to contact you or try to scam you.

There are reports the attackers are sorry and have deleted all the stolen data. Unfortunately there is no way to determine if this is true or correct.


Here is what you can do and what you can’t do.

If you have ever received a bill or invoice from Optus (ie with a Optus logo in the corner) you should go to Service NSW and get a new licence with a new licence number. Optus suggest calling 133937 to find out if you are personally involved in the data breach. Because Optus’ advice on this issue is vague, our recommendation is to change your drivers licence number even if your Optus accounts were closed before 2017 or if when calling Optus, they tell you your personal information is safe.

If you have given your passport details to Optus, or if you can’t recall whether you have or haven’t given your passport details you should get a new passport in addition to your new drivers licence.

Both actions above should be completed as soon as possible.

Optus says your account login credentials were not compromised and you don’t need to change your password. This is likely to be correct, but you should change your Optus password as a precaution. As with all passwords make sure it’s unique to only your Optus account.

Services like Equifax will monitor if a loan is trying to be established in your name. You should consider signing up for one of these services. Optus are offering 12 months free service with Equifax but they will contact you directly if you are eligible for this offer.

Consider blocking access to your credit information. Information is here on how to start this process: https://www.idcare.org/fact-sheets/credit-bans-australia

If you’re an Optus customer your birthday was also lost. This is a concern as nothing can be done about this. Your date of birth is extremely valuable private information.


Final thoughts.

Big companies get attacked and breached all the time. Sony, Microsoft, Apple, Uber, just to name a few all have had data breaches. These companies have significantly more resources to protect data than Optus does, and the breaches still have occurred. It is part of the world we are in today. But transparency and information is key, these breaches need to be publicly advised and transparent to customers. This transparency helps customers take actions to protect themselves.


As IT professionals, things we know (100% for sure!) about the incoming iPhone 14 specs

May 10, 2022
  • After purchase, it WILL NOT feel identical to the iPhone 8 you just handed down to your son/daughter
  • Before purchase it WILL make total sense to spend $2k on a telephone
  • Rest assured, it WILL NOT have a fingerprint sensor! When wearing a mask you can enter a pin number like it’s the 1990’s to use your phone. This feature is called the ‘warm and fuzzy Nokia 3110’ update
  • BUT, if you wish, Apple have an option for the iPhone 14 that automagicaly makes a Bluetooth link with any facemask, of any mask brand (by upgrading the mask to Bluetooth of course) and allows you to unlock with your face. Please choose ‘Apple Watch Patch’ at checkout (prices start at only $599)
  • Don’t worry! Now the iPhone 14 won’t come with a charge cable! As eagerly anticipated. Apple have upgraded their environmental policy and reduced the risk of YOU creating waste, not by just removing the charger but also removing the charge cable.
  • :-J

Phone us for more super-secret Apple knowledge.

iPhone 14
The smaller, ligher iPhone 14. Now with 3G!


Its Holiday time! See you in 2022

December 15, 2021

Big thanks to all the small business and staff for the past year! Now time for a much needed break!

Over the holiday season we will be taking a break from 25th December to 10th January inclusive. During this time we will be on-hand for any business-critical issues, just leave a message by ringing our phone 02 8007 2930.

Merry Christmas, keep safe and enjoy the holidays.


Data Recovery

The most common data recovery procedure we perform involves a computer that won’t boot due to a drive failure. This is most often caused by a bump or a knock to the computer while the hard disk is writing critical data. Sometimes the head physically crashes into the the plater. This is where the term ‘hard drive crash’ originated. Of course failure of spinning hard disks happens for many reasons include wear and tear. Some drives spin at 10,000 rpm with as little as 3 nanometres separating the drive head from the disk plater. This provides very little room for error. Something that goes hand in hand with data recovery is your backup plan. If you don’t have a backup policy in place please contact us straight away for a tailor made solution. To ensure we can recover as much data as possible stop using the media or the effected computer straight away. Stage one recovery prices start from only $250 for most media types including hard drives, discs and flash cards. This price includes GST and the replacement drive. In most situations we can recover your data in this first stage. The second stage of disc recovery is the [&hellip


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FAQ

What computer systems do you work with? Just about everything. Do you charge for travel time? Not for local bookings – only when extended travel is involved. Do you have an office where I can take my faulty computer to get repaired? Yes, you can find us at Suite 52, 6-8 Herbert Street St Leonards. Please call-ahead first, so that we are best prepared for the job. What about the warranty on the products I buy from you? All new products come with the manufacturer’s warranty. Second hand products have a 90 day warranty


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Useful Links

Here is a list of some useful links: Generate strong passwords: passwordsgenerator.net Online malware scanner and statistics: virustotal.com


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