Source : Perth Now news
A school in Perth’s north has been targeted in a cyber attack, with hackers stealing students and families’ personal information.
St James Anglican School, in Perth’s north, identified a cyber breach involving unauthorised access into its computer systems.
Parents were advised the school immediately contained the cyber security incident and secured its systems, but hackers were able to access personal information of families and students.
“The investigation has identified that personal information relating to members of the school community was involved,” a spokesman said in a statement.
“The school has notified families and provided them with information about the incident and practical steps they can take to protect their information.”
Hackers copied names, addresses, emails, phones numbers, bank accounts details, student medical records and photographs of current and formers students enrolled at the school since 2015, according to The West Australian.
“The school is continuing to work closely with its cyber security advisers and will provide further information directly to affected members of our community where appropriate,” the spokesman said.
“Our priority is supporting our students, families and staff while ensuring the security of the school’s systems.”
The incident has been reported to the Australian Information Commissioner and other relevant authorities.
According to the Australian Signals Directorate, 25 per cent of Australians were a victim of identity theft costing individuals and businesses around $3.1bn annually.
The cyber security authority warned identity theft could potentially be devastating and cyber criminals could use personal information to impersonate people.
St James Anglican School has been contacted for comment.
