Calvary Christian College has confirmed it is responding to a cyber security incident after hackers claimed to have breached the school’s network earlier this month.
The Qilin ransomware group listed the school in a 5 November post to its darknet leak site.
While the hackers have shared very little detail regarding their claims, they have said the data will be published within four days as of the time of writing.
A spokesman for the school has said an investigation is under way.
“Calvary Christian College is currently investigating a cyber incident involving unauthorised access to a portion of the school’s IT environment,” the spokesman told Cyber Daily.
“As soon as the activity was identified, the College took steps to contain the incident, secure our systems and engage independent specialist cyber security, forensic and legal advisers to support our response and investigation.
“Our investigation has determined that the incident was limited to a single system used by the school to facilitate permission forms. No other school systems were impacted.”
The school has said it will contact those directly affected.
The Australian Cyber Security Centre and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner have been informed.
“We will continue to work through the investigation and keep our community informed as more information becomes available,” the school said.
“As this investigation remains ongoing, we are not in a position to provide further comment at this time.”
Who is Qilin?
The Qilin cyber extortion group has claimed more than 2,400 victims since it first emerged in 2022, with 1,200 victims added to its darknet leak site in 2026 alone, making it the most active ransomware group in the world.
The group operates under a ransomware-as-a-service model, with affiliates gaining access to its ransomware infrastructure in return for a cut of any ransom payments.
The group’s most recent Australian victim was Bathurst RSL, alongside a trio of other companies hit by the hackers last month.
What is Calvary Christian College?
Based in the Townsville suburb of Mt Louisa, Calvary Christian College offers education to early learners through to year 12.
According to its 2026 Annual Report, the school currently has 1,167 students enrolled and employs more than 200 staff and teachers.
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