Western Sydney University has issued a public apology after a targeted cyber attack compromised the personal data of approximately 10,000 current and former students — with some of the stolen information found on the dark web.
The university confirmed that the unauthorised access occurred through its single sign-on system between January and February this year. The breach exposed enrolment, progression, and demographic information. Investigators later discovered that some of this data had been posted online as early as November 2024.
Western Sydney University (WSU) said in a statement:
“As soon as the unauthorised access was detected, the university’s internal and third-party cyber experts immediately began working to shut down the perpetrator’s access to the system in real time.”
Vice-Chancellor and President Professor George Williams AO acknowledged the significant impact the breach has had on the university community and issued a formal apology. “Western Sydney University has been the subject of persistent and targeted attacks on our network,” he said.
“We are very aware of the personal impact these incidents are having on our students, staff and wider community. On behalf of the university, I apologise.”
It is being reported that investigations are ongoing, led by NSW Police’s Strike Force Pardey, with assistance from the National Office of Cyber Security, the Australian Federal Police, the Australian Cyber Security Centre, and the NSW Information and Privacy Commission.
This is not the first time WSU has been targeted. In a previous breach, 580 terabytes of sensitive information — including names, government ID details, and banking information — were stolen through Microsoft Office 365 and Dell’s Isilon storage platform.
To protect affected individuals, the university secured an injunction from the NSW Supreme Court preventing the use, transmission or publication of the stolen data. WSU has pledged to contact the students impacted by the most recent breach next week.
Students and staff have been urged to remain vigilant, as universities across Australia continue to face growing threats from cyber criminals.
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