A former student has been accused of carrying out multiple cyberattacks against Western Sydney University (WSU).
NSW Police allege the 27-year-old woman threatened to sell confidential student data on the dark web, among other offences.
Investigators claim she first hacked the uni to gain discounted parking, before “progressing over time” to more serious breaches like changing academic results and fraud.
The woman is facing a total of 20 charges relating to hacks between 2021 and 2025.
Investigation
Detective Acting Superintendent Jason Smith said it’s believed the incidents “were driven by the person’s grievances with the university, which were not resolved to their liking.”
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NSW Police said the woman was studying engineering at WSU when her alleged cyber breaches began. However, Smith said she continued to target the university when she was no longer a student.
Smith said the cyberattacks caused “significant disruptions” to WSU, with hundreds of staff and students believed to have been impacted.
Next steps
The woman has been refused bail and is due in court this week.
Smith warned hackers “ who think that they can hide behind technology or layers of encryption” are “living on borrowed time.”
“We will identify you, and we'll bring you to justice,” he said.
