Qld's TAFE and education department websites hacked

Unknown attackers have infiltrated the websites of TAFE Queensland and the state’s Department of Education and Training, illegally accessing information submitted through feedback forms.

Queensland Government CIO Andrew Mills revealed details of the attack in a public statement, announcing that the government has immediately taken steps to address the incident.

These include strengthening the government’s security protocols, reporting the attack to state and federal police agencies and the Australian Cyber Security Centre, and commissioning cybersecurity experts to investigate the breach.

Mills said the government will not be providing the specific details of the information illegally accessed for security reasons, but added that he is confident that no financial data has been breached.

“We remain committed to the highest online security protocols required to safeguard our information and Queenslanders can be assured that we are committed to fully investigating this illegal act,” he said.

The government was notified of the attack when it received an email threat from an unknown source, he said, without elaborating on the details of the threat.

Queensland’s shadow minister for education and training has noted that if the attackers are attempting to extort the government, this indicates that the stolen information must be of some value, despite the government’s efforts to downplay the seriousness of the attack.

Other government and private organisations across the country have been targeted in similar attacks.

Image courtesy of Ivan David Gomez Arce under CC