Cybercriminal "2019" Claims Breach of Australian Education Provider, Exposing Student Data
A hacker known as 2019 has claimed responsibility for breaching Top Education Group, an Australian tertiary education provider operating as the Australian National Institute of Management and Commerce. The incident, announced on a cybercrime forum on July 3, allegedly exposed the personal data of over 187,600 international students across two datasets.
The compromised records include names, personal and campus emails, dates of birth, phone numbers, gender, citizenship details, disability information, and migration agent data. The second dataset also contains course details, qualifications, student fees, and exam data. Unlike previous leaks where 2019 distributed stolen data for free, this breach is being offered as a one-time sale via cryptocurrency.
Top Education Group, which serves over 10,000 students from 40+ countries across campuses in Sydney, Perth, and Hobart, has not yet responded to requests for comment. The institution offers programs in business, law, and IT and has operated under its current name since 2019.
2019, active on underground forums since January 2026, has a history of targeting Australian organizations, including Court Services Victoria, Lifeline Australia, and the National Portrait Gallery. Despite limited public details, the hacker is considered a trusted source of leaked data within the cybercrime community. The full extent of the breach and its impact on affected students remain unclear.
Australian National Institute of Management and Commerce (IMC) cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/au-imc
"id": "AU-1785825340",
"linkid": "au-imc",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "7/2026",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': '187,600+ international students',
'industry': 'Education',
'location': 'Australia (Sydney, Perth, Hobart)',
'name': 'Top Education Group (Australian National '
'Institute of Management and Commerce)',
'size': 'Over 10,000 students',
'type': 'Education Provider'}],
'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'Yes',
'number_of_records_exposed': '187,600+',
'personally_identifiable_information': ['Names',
'Emails',
'Dates of Birth',
'Phone Numbers',
'Gender',
'Citizenship Details',
'Disability '
'Information',
'Migration Agent '
'Data'],
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['Personal Identifiable '
'Information',
'Student Records',
'Course Details',
'Qualifications',
'Student Fees',
'Exam Data']},
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2024-07-03',
'description': 'A hacker known as *2019* has claimed responsibility for '
'breaching *Top Education Group*, an Australian tertiary '
'education provider operating as the *Australian National '
'Institute of Management and Commerce*. The incident allegedly '
'exposed the personal data of over 187,600 international '
'students across two datasets, including names, personal and '
'campus emails, dates of birth, phone numbers, gender, '
'citizenship details, disability information, migration agent '
'data, course details, qualifications, student fees, and exam '
'data. The breach is being offered as a one-time sale via '
'cryptocurrency.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Potential reputational damage',
'data_compromised': 'Personal data of over 187,600 international '
'students',
'identity_theft_risk': 'High'},
'initial_access_broker': {'data_sold_on_dark_web': 'Yes'},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing',
'motivation': 'Financial Gain',
'references': [{'date_accessed': '2024-07-03', 'source': 'Cybercrime Forum'}],
'threat_actor': '2019',
'title': "Cybercriminal '2019' Claims Breach of Australian Education "
'Provider, Exposing Student Data',
'type': 'Data Breach'}