Australian Education Data Breach, 4 April 2023

Data of thousands of TAFE SA students stolen in breach spanning over five years

SA Police “found” USB containing credentials such as driver’s licences and passports for enrolments prior to 2021 across all campuses

Company Statement: Data Breach
Source: Data of thousands of TAFE SA students stolen in breach spanning over five years | ABC News (Australia)

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The personal information of more than 2,000 TAFE SA students has been stolen in a serious data breach.

TAFE South Australia has revealed a data breach that was discovered when SA Police seized “devices containing electronic scanned copies of TAFE SA student identification forms”.

TAFE SA CEO David Coltman said the stolen details included copies of documents used to enrol into courses, such as driver’s licences, proof of age cards, tax file numbers and passports.

An internal investigation found that 87 per cent of the documents accessed have expired.

TAFE SA CEO David Coltman said the stolen details included copies of documents used to enrol into courses, such as driver’s licences, proof of age cards, tax file numbers and passports.

An internal investigation found that 87 per cent of the documents accessed have expired.

A response team was immediately set up to extract the data from the USB.

All staff access to the platform containing the details of students has been restricted and any access will require the CEO’s approval.

Mr Coltman said TAFE SA will cover the fees for proof of age and passports for those needing new documents.