Hackers have broken into the systems of the Australian National University (ANU) and stolen hundreds of sensitive student data. Many of these students now work for the Australian government. Coincidence?
Attackers have breached the systems of the Australian National University (ANU) to gain access to data on students who have graduated over the past 19 years, the university said. The data includes bank accounts, phone numbers, addresses, passport file numbers, tax documents and academic records.
Brian Schmidt, Vice President of the University, said the breach occurred in late 2018 but was only recently discovered.
"We are working closely with Australian government security agencies and industry partners to better investigate," Schmidt added.
The Canberra-based ANU is Australia's top school, having graduated former prime ministers, cabinet officials and public servants.
The university was also attacked last year, which reportedly failed to collect sensitive data. At the time, Australian media speculated that Beijing was behind the intrusion. This time, we currently have no information about the hackers.
Earlier this year, the Australian parliament also reported that its network had been compromised and that some political parties had been targeted. Many believed that China was responsible for this attack as well.
However, security experts say it is "too early to think about possible connections to other attacks.".
China, for its part, denies any accusations.
