Victorian Government School Student Data Breached in Cyberattack
Hackers accessed the personal information of current and former Victorian government school students in a significant data breach, the Victorian Department of Education confirmed on Wednesday. The compromised data includes students' names, email addresses, school names, year levels, and encrypted passwords.
The breach occurred through a school’s network, though no additional sensitive details such as dates of birth, phone numbers, or home addresses were reportedly accessed. Authorities have identified the entry point and implemented safeguards, including temporarily disabling affected systems to prevent further exposure.
The department is collaborating with cybersecurity experts and other government agencies to investigate the incident and ensure minimal disruption to students ahead of the 2026 school year. Officials stated there is no evidence that the stolen data has been publicly released or shared with unauthorized third parties.
An email sent to parents by one affected school outlined the breach details and steps being taken to secure student data, while also addressing parental concerns about safety. The Victorian government continues to prioritize the privacy and security of student information as the investigation progresses.
Source: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-14/student-data-breach-victorian-education-department/106230114
Department of Education cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/department-of-education
"id": "DEP1768379458",
"linkid": "department-of-education",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "1/2026",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'Current and past Victorian '
'government school students',
'industry': 'Education',
'location': 'Victoria, Australia',
'name': 'Victorian Department of Education',
'type': 'Government'}],
'attack_vector': 'Third-party access via school network',
'customer_advisories': 'Email notifications to parents with safety measures',
'data_breach': {'data_encryption': 'Encrypted passwords',
'data_exfiltration': 'No evidence of public release or '
'sharing with third parties',
'personally_identifiable_information': 'Names, email '
'addresses, school '
'names, year level',
'sensitivity_of_data': 'Low to medium (no DOB, phone number, '
'or home address)',
'type_of_data_compromised': 'Student information'},
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2025-11-13',
'description': 'Hackers accessed the information of current and past '
"Victorian government school students through a school's "
'network. The breach involved names, email addresses, school '
'names, year level, and encrypted passwords.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Potential impact on Victorian '
"Department of Education's reputation",
'data_compromised': 'Names, email addresses, school names, year '
'level, encrypted passwords',
'identity_theft_risk': 'Potential risk due to exposed student data',
'operational_impact': 'Temporary disabling of systems to prevent '
'further access',
'systems_affected': 'Victorian Department of Education systems'},
'initial_access_broker': {'entry_point': "School's network"},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing',
'references': [{'date_accessed': '2025-11-13', 'source': 'ABC News'}],
'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Email notifications to parents, '
'public disclosure',
'containment_measures': 'Temporary disabling of systems to '
'prevent further access',
'incident_response_plan_activated': 'Yes',
'recovery_measures': 'Working to ensure no disruption to '
'students for the 2026 school year',
'third_party_assistance': 'Cyber experts, other government '
'agencies'},
'stakeholder_advisories': 'Communicating with schools to ensure no disruption '
'to students',
'threat_actor': 'Hackers',
'title': 'Victorian Government School Student Data Breach',
'type': 'Data Breach'}