Sydney Uni data goes walkabout after criminals raid code repo
Summary
The University of Sydney has confirmed unauthorised access to an online code repository that contained historical data extracts used for testing. The breach exposed personal information relating to around 27,000 people — a mix of current and former staff, alumni, students and a handful of supporters. The university says the data came from retired systems (not live production databases), the files were downloaded, and external cybersecurity partners and government authorities have been engaged as investigations continue into the new year.
Author note — Carly Page (Punchy): This is a sharp reminder that test data forgotten in dev environments can bite back. Read the details if you’re a staff member, alumnus or IT pro — there are practical lessons here.
Key Points
- Attackers accessed and downloaded historical personal data stored in a code repository used for development and testing.
- Approximately 10,000 current staff/affiliates and 12,500 former staff/affiliates (as of 04 Sep 2018) may be affected, plus about 5,000 alumni/students and six supporters — roughly 27K people in total.
- Exposed fields for some records include names, dates of birth, phone numbers, home addresses and basic employment details (titles and employment dates).
- The compromised files were test extracts from retired systems, not live production databases, and the university says there is currently no evidence the data has been misused or published.
- The university has purged the identified datasets from the repository, notified affected individuals (notifications will continue into Jan 2026), and is undertaking remediation under its Privacy Resilience Program.
- Access was reportedly limited to a single platform; the incident is unrelated to a separate student results issue reported the previous day.
Content summary
The University of Sydney discovered suspicious activity in one of its online IT code libraries and moved quickly to lock down the system. An internal review found historical data files retained for earlier development work had been left in the repository. Those files contained personal information spanning retired systems (2010–2019 and earlier snapshots) and pertain to thousands of current and former staff and students.
The university says it has engaged external cyber specialists and reported the breach to relevant authorities. It has begun notifying those affected and is removing the data from the code library while assessing further remediation steps. So far there is no sign of misuse, but the university acknowledges the data was downloaded and is continuing investigations into the new year.
Context and relevance
This incident underscores a recurring issue: development environments and code repositories often hold legacy or test data that can include personally identifiable information (PII). Organisations routinely underestimate the risk of keeping such datasets in dev/test platforms, which are frequently less protected than production systems. For IT teams, the story highlights the need for strict data hygiene (purging test PII), repository access controls, and routine audits. For affected individuals, it reinforces the importance of monitoring for unusual communications or identity-related fraud.
Why should I read this?
Short version: if you’re a current or former Uni of Sydney staffer, student or alumnus, this could touch you — so skim the details and watch for the university’s notification. If you work in IT or security, it’s one of those face‑palm moments: don’t stash real people’s PII in dev repos. The article saves you time by pulling the numbers, what was exposed, and what the uni is doing about it.
Source
Source: https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2025/12/19/sydney_uni_breach/