Australian Catholic University staff accounts compromised in phishing attack

The Australian Catholic University (ACU) is the latest Aussie institute to suffer from a data breach.

The uni admitted that it discovered a data breach on 22 May stemming from a phishing attack. A “very small number” of staff login credentials were stolen via a phishing email, which were used to access email accounts, calendars and bank account details of staff members.

ACU has already contacted everyone that was directly affected and reset the accounts that were breached. The uni also notified the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) and the Australian Cybercrime Online Reporting Network (ACORN) about the breach.

Staff and students were advised to stay frosty when it comes to phishing attacks by storing passwords securely, avoiding opening dodgy email links and to update all passwords.

“ACU’s top priority is to protect the data and information of our staff and students. We take very seriously our responsibilities to manage the security of data and the security of our IT systems,” said ACU acting vice-chancellor Dr Stephen Weller.

“We also recognise the importance of cyber security awareness for students and staff and are reviewing ACU’s cyber security awareness programs.”

Earlier this month, the Australian National University suffered a similar data breach when about 19 years of data was accessed by an unknown attacker.

ANU couldn’t pinpoint the source at the time but said attackers could have accessed information including names, addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, personal email addresses and emergency contact details, tax file numbers, payroll information, bank account details, and passport details.