Kids’ medical information, passport details feared compromised in school cyberattack

3 months ago 9

Private student data including medical and financial information is feared to have been published on darknet websites after a cyberattack on a Catholic college in Melbourne’s north-east.

Parents whose children attend Loyola College, in Watsonia, have been warned a “malicious third party” hacked into the secondary school’s system and published full names, addresses, emails and phone numbers online.

In a letter sent to parents on Wednesday, principal Alison Leutchford said the school’s digital forensic experts were still investigating the extent of the breach. She warned that it could include emergency contact information, passport and birth certificate details as well as health and medical information.

“If you feel you may have provided this information to Loyola College, or the college holds this information, there is a risk that this information has been accessed and posted online,” Leutchford wrote.

“I appreciate this information is deeply unsettling and want to reassure you that we are taking every necessary step to ensure the ongoing security of the college’s systems.”

Leutchford urged parents to be alert to scam emails, texts and telephone calls. She said the school had contacted police.

Interlock, a ransomware gang, appears to have listed the school as a victim on a leak site, saying Loyola was “a large educational institution with thousands of students! Hundreds of employees!”

“This college is very poorly protected in our reality and therefore data was compromised,” it said.

Last year there were 1446 students enrolled at Loyola College, which employed 131 teaching staff and 79 non-teaching staff.

The post claimed a full history and database of all students and their private information was freely available, as well as a large number of financial and legal documents.

The Loyola College incident follows a cyberattack on top boys’ school Scotch College’s IT system a fortnight ago.

In a fresh update emailed to parents, staff and alumni last week, Scotch principal Dr Scott Marsh said an investigation found that a limited amount of information had been accessed by a third party.

In the email, seen by The Age, Marsh said the school would take a cautious approach and review the files identified as likely to be at risk. He said it would then contact in coming weeks those whose information it thought might have been accessed.

Marsh said the school’s response in shutting down all servers and disabling accounts had been effective in containing the breach, which occurred over the weekend of August 9 and 10 and led to the school warning its community to be vigilant about suspicious emails and to avoid clicking on links or opening attachments.

Alumni of the 174-year-old Hawthorn school include high-profile leaders in business, politics, sport and the arts.

Among them are former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett, former president of the Australian Academy of Science Andrew Holmes and former High Court judge Kenneth Hayne. Media personality Russel Howcroft and The Cat Empire’s lead singer, Felix Riebl, are also former students.

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