Login
iscover
Share this article on:
Powered by
MOMENTUM
MEDIA
Powered by MOMENTUMMEDIA
The hacker behind the wave of attacks on Western Sydney University has been granted bail under strict conditions after being arrested earlier this week.
The threat actor, determined to be ex-student Birdie Kingston, began her hacking spree in 2021 in an effort to get “discounted” university parking. By the end, she had changed her academic results and exfiltrated student data and threatened to sell it, unless she received $40,000 in cryptocurrency.
According to Detective Acting Superintendent Jason Smith, Kingston had an ongoing grudge against the university, which is believed to have been the motivation for the cyber attacks.
“We’re aware that there are a number of grievances ... which were not resolved to their liking, and we believe that that’s the driving factor behind the offending,” Smith said.
After appearing at Parramatta Local Court this morning (Friday, 27 June ), Kingston was granted bail on strict conditions after it was determined that she had a number of medical issues, including a heart condition, autism and ADHD, and that she was a transgender woman, which her lawyer argued would make custody more difficult and unpleasant.
Kingston is required to live with her flatmate in Kingswood, report to police on a daily basis, follow a curfew and must not access the internet.
She has also been prohibited from owning an internet-capable phone, and her flatmate was ordered to surrender their smart TV to prevent Kingston from having internet access.
Western Sydney University told Cyber Daily yesterday (Thursday, 26 June) that the cyber attack had a “significant impact on the university community” and that it worked closely with police. It has since announced that it has bolstered its security to prevent further incidents.
“This includes employing specialist staff, implementing new technologies that enhance our ability to detect, respond to and defend against threats to our digital environment,” the university said.
University of Queensland professor and cyber security expert Ryan Ko said the decentralised structure of universities creates unique cyber security challenges.
“There are postgraduate students who are both student and staff, so it’s a bit more complicated,” he said.
Kingston will return to court on 18 July.
Be the first to hear the latest developments in the cyber industry.
