Australia Insider Data Access Incident, 11 May 2021

A Service NSW worker could face criminal charges involving accessing a restricted database

ICAC said, the agency had “misplaced confidence” in the effectiveness of its controls.

Source: Service NSW worker corrupt: ICAC | AAP
View other incidents relating to Insider Threats and the Access Control domain.

A Service NSW worker could face criminal charges after the state’s corruption watchdog found she engaged in serious corrupt conduct.

Diana Benyamin was a customer service officer at the government agency when she accessed a restricted database to give someone’s personal information to her sister, and agreed to help an old friend by transferring a car’s registration in exchange for $5000.

“It’s not hard,” Ms Benyamin told her friend as she negotiated up the price.

“I could click my fingers and it will happen. It’s just illegal.”

Both activities would involve accessing a restricted database called DRIVES.

On one day in May 2019, she looked up the personal information of a person on the database 46 times and passed on their home address and number plate to a family member.

The watchdog also made several recommendations for Service NSW to improve how it monitors staff access to restricted information.

The agency had “misplaced confidence” in the effectiveness of its controls, it says.