Western Sydney University Statement on Cyber Incidents
Western Sydney University has issued an update to its community following confirmation that previously stolen personal information was published online, including on the dark web.
This update follows the University’s 10 April 2025 announcement regarding a dark web post purporting to contain personal information belonging to the University community.
The objective of today’s public notification is to provide further details about the impacted personal information and the steps individuals can take to protect themselves.
“Our University has been relentlessly targeted in a string of attacks on our network. This has taken a considerable toll on our community, and for that, I am deeply sorry,” Vice-Chancellor and President, Distinguished Professor George Williams AO said.
“I’d like to thank the NSW Police who recently charged a former student from the University in relation to cyber offences. As that matter is now before the Court, I cannot make any further comment other than to say the University will continue to assist Police with their investigations.
“On behalf of the University, I again apologise to our community. Our teams continue to strengthen the University’s digital environment and defend against threats.
“We ask that our community remains alert to any suspicious activity, and that they take action when asked to.”
The impacted personal information includes, but is not limited to:
- Biographic information such as name and date of birth.
- Contact information such as email addresses and phone numbers.
- Identity documents provided to the University, such as passport numbers, drivers licence details and visa details.
- Tax File Numbers.
- Student admission and enrolment information.
The open web and dark web posts breached the NSW Supreme Court interim injunction(opens in a new window) the University was granted last year, which prohibits access, use, transmission and publication of any data subject to unauthorised access.
To protect its community, the University successfully issued takedown notices to the open web forums within hours of detecting the posts which resulted in the data being removed. The nature of the dark web means it is not possible to issue takedown notices to dark web forums. However, by 20 June 2025, this dataset was no longer accessible.
This public notification is for the attention of former and current students and staff of the University, The College, The International College, and staff of Early Learning Ltd.
The University continues to work with cyber security experts and relevant authorities across Government, including the National Office of Cyber Security, Australian Federal Police and the Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre.
For more information, visit the University’s website: www.westernsydney.edu.au/cyberposts.
Given there are ongoing NSW Police investigations and active court proceedings, the University is unable to provide any further comment.
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