A cyber incident has impacted current student and inactive past student accounts at Victorian government schools.
What has been accessed
A Department of Education database with current and past student information was accessed by an external third-party.
The third-party accessed active and inactive past school student accounts, consisting of:
- student name
- department-issued email address and encrypted password (for those that use them)
- school name
- year level.
The third-party did not access any other student data such as birth dates, home addresses or phone numbers. No other family data was accessed.
What’s happened to the accessed data?
There is no evidence to suggest that the data accessed has been released publicly or shared with other third parties.
Next steps for students
Student passwords for department-issued email addresses (@schools.vic.gov.au) have now been deactivated and schools will issue new passwords at the start of the school year.
For any VCE student related queries prior to the start of the school year, please contact the department on 1800 338 663 or at enquiries@education.vic.gov.au.
Past government school students email accounts have been deactivated and are no longer in use.
Safety
The department has protections in place for active student email accounts including blocking external emails addressed to primary school accounts. Parents may wish to remind their child not to respond to unexpected or unknown emails.
Any safety concerns related to current or past school location being known, please contact your school and/or notify Victoria Police on 131 444 (Triple Zero for emergencies) or The Orange Door. The Orange Door provides help for people experiencing family violence and cannot provide further information about the cyber incident.
Where to go for further support
You can contact the department with any specific questions or concerns via:
- Phone: 1800 338 663
- Email: enquiries@education.vic.gov.au.
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