Hackers have gained access to an online coding repository used by the University of Sydney and stolen files containing personal information belonging to staff and students.
The university said the breach was limited to a single system and was discovered last week. After detecting the suspicious activity, the institution moved quickly to block the unauthorized access and secure the affected environment. It also notified the New South Wales Privacy Commissioner, the Australian Cyber Security Centre, and relevant education regulators.
In a public statement, the university explained that the affected system was mainly used for storing and developing code. However, it also contained older data files that included personal information related to members of its community.
The stolen data affects more than 27,000 people. This includes around 10,000 current staff and affiliates who were employed or associated with the university as of September 4, 2018, as well as about 12,500 former staff and affiliates from the same period. The breach also involves data from roughly 5,000 students and alumni from records dated between 2010 and 2019, along with information linked to six supporters.
According to the university, the staff data includes names, dates of birth, phone numbers, home addresses, and job-related details. While investigators confirmed that the data was accessed and downloaded, the university said there is no evidence so far that the information has been published online or misused.
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