Victorian court system hack sparks fears over sensitive case recordings
Victoria’s court system has been targeted in a cyber attack, sparking fears that sensitive recordings from recent cases may have been accessed.
Police & Courts
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The Victorian court system has been hit by a cyber attack, prompting fears that hackers may have accessed sensitive recordings from recent cases.
Court Services Victoria chief executive Louise Anderson on Tuesday said the agency first became aware of an attack impacting Victoria’s courts and tribunals on December 21.
But it’s feared that recordings of some hearings in court between November 1 and December 21 last year may have been accessed. It is possible some hearings from before November may also be affected, Ms Anderson said.
“The cyber incident led to unauthorised access leading to the disruption of the audiovisual in-court technology network, impacting video recordings, audio recordings and transcription services,” Ms Anderson said.
“CSV took immediate action to isolate and disable the affected network and to put in place arrangements to ensure continued operations across the courts. As a result, hearings in January will be proceeding.”
No other court systems or records, including employee or financial data, were accessed.
Ms Anderson said maintaining security for court users was the highest priority.
“We understand this will be unsettling for those who have been part of a hearing. We recognise and apologise for the distress that this may cause people,” she said.
“Our current efforts are focused on ensuring our systems are safe and making sure we notify people in hearings where recordings may have been accessed.”
Acting Premier Ben Carroll on Tuesday said it was unclear who was behind the attack or how many people had been affected.
“This has been … an attack that has been well contained,” he said.
“Court services are now working very closely with Victoria Police on this matter.
“We’re very confident that we’ll get to the bottom of it.”
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