Western Sydney University Confirms Data Breach Exposing Sensitive Information
SYDNEY – Western Sydney University has confirmed a data breach resulting in the exposure of bank account details, legal information, and other personal data belonging to staff, students, and alumni. The university is notifying individuals directly impacted, wiht some receiving specific details regarding the compromised information.
The breach, attributed to unauthorized access gained through third-party IT service providers, comes amid increasing cyberattacks targeting Australian institutions.While the full scope of the breach is still being assessed, the incident raises concerns about the security of sensitive data held by universities and the potential for identity theft and financial fraud. An interim injunction is now in place to prevent the further transmission, publication, or use of the stolen data.
Vice Chancellor George Williams admitted the data breach and issued an apology to the university community. ”I want to again apologise for the impact this is having,and give you my assurance that we are doing everything we can to rectify this issue and support our community,” Williams said.
The university stated it is actively supporting those affected by the breach and encourages anyone receiving a notification to take recommended actions and utilize available support services,even if prior security measures were already in place. The injunction prohibits a former student from using any information obtained from the university’s IT systems without authorization.
