The University of Western Australia (UWA) has confirmed a data breach that occurred, which resulted in the exposure of sensitive and private information. We'll dive into what happened, if this affects you, and what to do.
What exactly happened with this data breach?
UWA has revealed that a data breach may have compromised the personal information and grades of its current and past students. The university states that it detected unauthorised login activity to Callista - their student information management system that's also used by several universities, including Monash University and Edith Cowan University - and the information accessed included names, residential addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, course details, photos, and emergency contact details.
No credit card details, tax file numbers, medical records, passports or bank information were stored in the system according to the university, and the Western Australian Police have been notified about the breach.
UWA describes the breach as a "random attack" and while no financial information was obtained, the accessed personal information can be used to create identity theft or even extortion.
This UWA data breach occurs just weeks after a serious data breach at Deakin University, in which information from 46,980 current and past students was accessed by an unauthorised person. This unauthorised person then proceeded send out text messages to thousands of Deakin students, as if from Deakin University, containing a phishing link that asked for personal and financial information:
What to do
For those who may be affected by the UWA data breach, it's important to stay vigilant and to report anything suspicious to the university.
As for those affected by the Deakin University data breach, it is recommended that you:
Stay vigilant as you may receive further spam attempts to get your private data or access to your devices.
Contact your financial institution if you’re worried about your details/money being shared and ask how they can help.
Change your passwords for all Deakin logins. Instructions can be found on Deakin Username and Password support.
Just remember that if you need support or just someone to talk to, our Sonder support team is available 24/7 to chat whenever you need it.
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If you have any questions or need extra support, we're here to help you anytime in any language. Simply start a chat with us via the home screen of the Sonder app.
Information sourced from: IT News #1, IT News #2, Gizmodo, and Deakin University
Image credit: Shahadat Rahman at Unsplash
All content is created and published for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice.