A Melbourne Catholic school has warned parents to keep their children off the dark web after students unearthed and circulated screenshots of private information stolen by hackers from the school. Source: The Age.
Loyola College, in Watsonia in the city’s north-east, was hacked last month by a foreign cyber-crime group, which said it had stolen sensitive information about staff and students, including identity documents, tax and financial records, and court orders.
Now the school says students have found some of the stolen material posted on the dark web by the criminal group, Interlock, and have been sharing it with each other.
Principal Alison Leutchford said in a letter to parents on August 30 that private student data, including medical and financial information, had been stolen and may have been published online.
The school hired cybersecurity experts to investigate the extent of the personal information accessed, put extra safeguards in place and reset all staff, parent and student passwords.
But soon after the leak, students began searching the dark web – an unregulated part of the internet accessible only with specialist search software where criminality is rife – to access the stolen data.
“We are aware that some students have attempted to search for, and access, information on the dark web related to the breach. Screenshots of this information have been circulated between students,” Ms Leutchford wrote to parents earlier this month.
“While we understand that young people are curious about what has happened, we ask that you speak with your children immediately to discourage any further activity of this type.”
Interlock claims it has hacked 67 victims across the world, 14 of which were educational institutions. Loyola College was the first Australian school targeted by the group, but Interlock has been linked to other cybersecurity breaches in Australia.
A Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools spokesperson said the relevant government authorities, including Victoria Police, had been notified of the hack.
The spokesperson said that extra online security was now in place at Loyola and other Catholic schools around Melbourne and that students, staff and parents at the college were receiving support and advice.
FULL STORY
Catholic college students mine dark web to share hacked documents (By Nicole Precel, The Age)
