Second Melbourne school hit by information hack

A SECOND Melbourne school has been tangled in a security breach leaving hundreds of students vulnerable to having their private information misused.

Education Department spokesman Bruce Armstrong said the Department was investigating breaches at Camberwell High School, after a similar incident was revealed to have occurred at Blackburn High School last week.

Students are believed to have got into their school’s IT network through staff passwords, giving them access to “personal and sensitive” information about other students.

“We know the student would have been able to look at personal contact details, addresses, phone numbers, medical information, Medicare card numbers and the like,” Mr Armstrong told 3AW.
“It’s a very serious incident, and very sensitive information, and we can understand why people are upset and distressed.”

Mr Armstrong said he did not believe the incidents were related and the Department had apologised to students and families affected.

The Blackburn High School hack led to the personal details of families — including their Medicare details, phone numbers, and addresses — being posted online.

Police are investigating that breach.