Western Sydney University (WSU) suffered a significant data breach impacting approximately 10,000 current and former students. The breach, discovered in January and February 2025, involved the unauthorized access and subsequent publication of student data on the dark web.
Details of the Western Sydney University Breach
The compromised information included enrollment details, academic progression records, and demographic data. The university believes the breach originated from its sign-on system, a central repository for student information. The data, first appearing on a dark web forum on November 1, 2024, was confirmed by WSU to contain “personal information belonging to the University community.”
A university spokesperson stated that “Early investigations indicate that the information contained in this post broadly reflects the same types of personal information outlined in previous cyber notifications.”
WSU’s Response and Investigation
WSU swiftly responded to the breach.
“As soon as the unauthorised access was detected, the University’s internal and third-party cyber experts immediately began working to shut down the perpetrator’s access to the system in real time,” the university stated.
Professor George Williams AO, Vice-Chancellor and President, issued an apology: “Western Sydney University has been the subject of persistent and targeted attacks on our network…On behalf of the University, I apologise to our community. Our teams are working hard to respond and strengthen our digital environment.”
The university has reported the incident to NSW Police and is conducting a thorough investigation. WSU plans to contact affected students next week.
