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PUBLIC NOTIFICATION –
WESTERN SYDNEY UNIVERSITY CYBER INCIDENT

31 July 2024


Since unauthorised access to Western Sydney University’s IT network was
discovered in January 2024, the University has been undertaking forensic
investigations in line with our due diligence and legal obligations to determine
the full nature, scope and scale of the incident.

As a result of the ongoing investigations, the University issued this public
notification on 31 July 2024 about unauthorised access to the University’s
storage platform, known as the Isilon storage platform (Isilon). In particular,
the University is drawing this public notification to the attention of our
University community, which includes but is not limited to, our former and
current students and staff.

The University unreservedly apologises for this incident and the impact it is
having on our community. The University is committed to transparently rectifying
this matter and will keep our community updated as our investigation progresses.

Update on the ongoing investigation

After the University notified approximately 7,500 impacted individuals and our
community about a breach to our Microsoft Office 365 environment in May 2024,
the University confirmed personal information in Isilon was also subject to
unauthorised access. Isilon holds My Documents information, departmental shared
folders, and some backup and archived data.


We have been and will continue to analyse the very large and complex dataset to
properly understand the impact the unauthorised access to Isilon has had on
individuals’ personal information. The University is now in a position to
confirm:

 * There is evidence of access to approximately 580 terabytes of data across 83
   of the 400 directories in Isilon.
 * The investigation to date indicates unauthorised access to Isilon occurred
   between 9 July 2023 and 16 March 2024. 
 * Our initial review of Isilon has found personally identifiable information
   (PII) was accessed, including names, contact details, dates of birth, health
   information, sensitive information relating to workplace conduct and health
   and safety matters, government identification documents, tax file numbers,
   superannuation details and bank account information.

Based on its forensic investigation to date, the University has no evidence that
this incident extends beyond the University’s Microsoft Office 365 and Isilon
environments.

The University has not received any threats to disclose private information or
demands in exchange for maintaining privacy. The University has dark web
monitoring in place and there is no evidence to date that the data has been
uploaded. 

The University has not detected any further unauthorised access to Isilon since
remediation work took place. The University continues to engage with the
authorities in relation to the perpetrator of the Isilon incident.

What steps the University has taken

The University is working with Australia’s leading digital forensics and
incident response team at CyberCX and relevant authorities, including the
National Office of Cyber Security, Office of the Australian Information
Commissioner, NSW Information and Privacy Commission (IPC), Australian Federal
Police, Australian Cyber Security Centre, Australian Signals Directorate and
Home Affairs. The NSW Police Force’s Cybercrime Squad is conducting an
investigation under Strike Force GIRRAKOOL.

To protect University staff, students and stakeholders, the University sought
and was granted an interim injunction in the NSW Supreme Court to prevent
access, use, transmission and publication of any data that is the subject of the
incident. This includes data in Isilon that was accessed without authorisation.

The University’s leadership and Board have taken a number of steps to remediate
the issue and further protect staff and students, including completing a
password reset, enhancing detection monitoring, implementing additional firewall
protection, increasing our cyber security team capacity, and reviewing data
storage and retention practices.

On 31 July 2024, the University drew this public notification to the particular
attention of its community in emails issued to students, staff and alumni with
information about the steps they can take to protect themselves, and the support
services made available to them by the University. The University also issued a
media release to draw this public notification to the attention of all those who
may be impacted.

The next steps

The University will endeavour to notify individuals about the impact on their
personal information in the coming weeks. However, due to the volume and
complexity of the data, the University will not be able to issue individual
notifications to all those who may be impacted.

What action should you take?

This public notification will help ensure our community stays vigilant to any
signs their data may have been accessed.

The University has engaged IDCARE, Australia’s national identity and cyber
support service, to provide free advice and support to members of our community
who may have questions about how to protect themselves when identity information
may have been compromised.

You can find out about ways to protect your personal information by visiting
www.idcare.org/wsu-incident-response
Opens in new window
. You can also contact IDCARE on 1800 595 160 and quote the reference number
WESSYDPB24 or complete an online Get Help form.


Support services

For additional support services and enquiries, the University has established a
dedicated phone line. The phone line details are as follows: 02 9174 6942
(Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 4.30pm AEST). This website also has answers to
additional questions you may have.

Information about your rights

If you are not satisfied with the University’s response to the incident, you can
lodge a complaint or request an internal review by providing the details of your
matter via email to internalreview@westernsydney.edu.au. Your email must be
received within six months of the date of this public notification (31 July
2024).

If you are not satisfied with the actions taken by the University, you can lodge
a complaint with the NSW Information and Privacy Commission (IPC). The IPC has
more information about making a complaint as well as your review rights and can
be contacted at:

 * Phone: 1800 472 679
 * Email: ipcinfo@ipc.nsw.gov.au
   Opens in new window
 * Post: GPO Box 7011, Sydney NSW 2001
 * Website: www.ipc.nsw.gov.au
   Opens in new window

Please note, this public notification will be published on the University’s
public notification register
Opens in new window
from the date of publication (31 July 2024) for 12 months. This public
notification will also be available on the Office of General Counsel’s website
Opens in new window
and the IPC’s website.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why has the University issued a public notification on 31 July 2024?

After the University notified approximately 7,500 impacted individuals and our
community about a breach to our Microsoft Office 365 environment in May 2024,
the University confirmed personal information in Isilon was also subject to
unauthorised access.

The public notification will help ensure our community stay vigilant to any
signs their data may have been accessed.

What was the May 2024 Incident?

On 21 May 2024, Western Sydney University notified individuals impacted by
unauthorised access to its Microsoft Office 365 environment.

The intrusion was identified by the University in January 2024 and quickly shut
down.

The University has been investigating the impact of the unauthorised access and
investing in additional remediation measures.

Since January 2024, the University undertook its due diligence to understand the
nature, scope and scale of the incident, the number of individuals impacted, and
to protect against further harm. This was also done in accordance with the
University’s legal obligations.

The investigation has indicated that the earliest known unauthorised access to
the University’s Microsoft Office 365 environment was on 17 May 2023 and
included access to some email accounts and SharePoint files.

The University is working with a range of authorities, including NSW Police
whose investigation is ongoing. The University has also been in ongoing contact
with the NSW Information and Privacy Commission.

Overall, approximately 7,500 individuals received notifications on 21 May 2024.

What is Isilon and what was stored on it?

Isilon is the University’s storage platform. It hosts the University’s Desktop
My Documents information, departmental shared folders, and some backup and
archived data.

What is My Documents?

Students and staff have access to their own My Documents, which includes My
Documents, Desktop data, downloads, favourites and web history etc.

The My Documents folders are located on our centralised network storage, which
means an individual can access their My Documents on any computer within the
Western network. The desktop/laptop needs to be connected to the University’s
network via a physical network cable to enable this.

What steps has the University taken in response?

The University is working with Australia’s leading digital forensics and
incident response team at CyberCX and relevant authorities, including the
National Office of Cyber Security, Office of the Australian Information
Commissioner, NSW Information and Privacy Commission, Australian Federal Police,
Australian Cyber Security Centre, Australian Signals Directorate and Home
Affairs.

The NSW Police Force’s Cybercrime Squad is conducting an investigation under
Strike Force GIRRAKOOL.

To protect staff, students and stakeholders, the University sought and was
granted an interim injunction in the NSW Supreme Court to prevent access, use,
transmission and publication of any data that is the subject of the incident.
This includes the data in Isilon that was accessed without authorisation.

The University’s leadership and Board have taken a number of steps to remediate
the issue and further protect staff and students, including completing a
password reset, enhancing detection monitoring, implementing additional firewall
protection, increasing its cyber security team capacity, and reviewing data
storage and retention practices.

What is the status of the investigations and when it is it likely to conclude?

The University is continuing to work with Australia’s leading digital forensics
and incident response team at CyberCX to analyse the data that has been
accessed, and our investigations are ongoing.

Does the University know who gained unauthorised access?

The University continues to engage with the authorities in relation to the
perpetrator of the Isilon incident.

Has the perpetrator made any threats to the University?

The University has not received any threats to disclose private information or
demands in exchange for maintaining privacy.

The University has dark web monitoring in place and there is no evidence to date
that the data has been uploaded.

What impact did this have on operations?

The University’s day-to-day operations have not been impacted by the incident.

How will I find out if I have been affected?

The University will endeavour to notify individuals about the impact on their
personal information in the coming weeks. However, due to the volume and
complexity of the data, the University will not be able to issue individual
notifications to all those who may be impacted.

If you have any other questions about this incident, please call our dedicated
phone line: 02 9174 6942 (Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 4.30pm AEST).

If I am impacted, what support is available to me?

The University unreservedly apologises and is here to support you. We have
arranged the following services for you to access:

 * The University has engaged IDCARE, Australia’s national identity and cyber
   support service, to provide free advice and support to members of our
   community who may have questions about how to protect themselves when
   identity information may have been compromised.

You can find out about ways to protect your personal information by visiting
www.idcare.org/wsu-incident-response
Opens in new window
. You can also contact IDCARE on 1800 595 160 and quote the reference number
WESSYDPB24 or complete an online Get Help form.

 * We have established a dedicated phone line and this website to answer any
   questions you might have. The phone line details are as follows: 02 9174 6942
   (Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 4.30pm AEST).

I am not affected by this incident, but this situation is impacting my mental
health and studies. Who can I talk to?

We understand this incident is concerning and we apologise for the impact it is
having on our community.

Please call 02 9174 6942 to speak with our dedicated team who can direct you to
the most appropriate support.

How can I escalate this matter further?

If you have any other questions about this incident, please call our dedicated
phone line: 02 9174 6942 (Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 4.30pm AEST).

If you are not satisfied with the University’s response to the incident, you can
lodge a complaint or request an internal review by providing the details of your
matter via email to internalreview@westernsydney.edu.au. Your email must be
received within six months of the date of this public notification (31 July
2024).

If you are not satisfied with the actions taken by the University, you can lodge
a complaint with the NSW Information and Privacy Commission (IPC). The IPC has
more information about making a complaint as well as your review rights
Opens in new window
and can be contacted at:

 * Phone: 1800 472 679
 * Email: ipcinfo@ipc.nsw.gov.au
   Opens in new window
 * Post: GPO Box 7011, Sydney NSW 2001
 * Website: www.ipc.nsw.gov.au
   Opens in new window

21 May 2024

More information on the individual notifications issued on 21 May 2024 is
available here
Opens in new window
.

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY



With respect for Aboriginal cultural protocol and out of recognition that its
campuses occupy their traditional lands, Western Sydney University acknowledges
the Darug, Eora, Dharawal (also referred to as Tharawal) and Wiradjuri
peoples and thanks them for their support of its work in their lands in Greater
Western Sydney and beyond.



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