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NSW Police is currently investigating a data breach at a government department, after which 9,000 “sensitive court files” were reportedly accessed, including AVOs and court affidavits.
Editor’s note: This story originally appeared on Lawyers Weekly’s sister brand, Cyber Daily, and has been updated to include an additional statement from the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ).
“Cyber crime detectives are investigating a major data breach involving [DCJ],” NSW Police said in a news update at 8.14pm on 26 March.
“Cyber crime detectives commenced an investigation under Strike Force Pardey and are working closely with DCJ in order to contain the breach after approximately 9,000 sensitive court files, including apprehended violence orders and affidavits, were downloaded,” NSW Police said.
Investigations are ongoing to determine the exact nature of the data compromised in the incident.
A spokesperson for the Department of Communities and Justice told Cyber Daily, Lawyers Weekly's sister brand, that mitigation strategies have been put in place to contain the breach and that “no data has been made public as a result of the breach”.
“DCJ has reported the matter to the NSW Police Cybercrime Squad, Cyber NSW and other relevant authorities. The matter is now subject to an active police investigation,” DCJ’s spokesperson said.
“DCJ is working to urgently identify and contact affected users and will provide updates as more information becomes available.”
In a separate statement, DCJ said that it "takes this breach extremely seriously and is acting with urgency to identify affected individuals to ensure their safety".
"The unauthorised file access method used has been contained, and a thorough review of system integrity is in progress. Independent cybersecurity experts are conducting further assessments to verify this. DCJ has stood up a team of experts who are forensically examining every document involved," it noted.
Michael Daley, the NSW Attorney-General, has been advised of the incident.
“I’ve been advised by the Department of Communities and Justice about a significant cyber breach affecting the NSW Online Registry Website,” Daley said in a widely reported statement.
“The NSW government is taking this incident seriously. I am assured that DCJ is working with Cyber Security NSW and the NSW Police to ensure the ongoing integrity of the system.
“They are also working to urgently identify and contact affected users, and the public will be kept updated as more information becomes available.”
As of the time of writing, no threat actor has yet claimed responsibility for the data breach.
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David Hollingworth
