Maroubra man charged after alleged Department of Community and Justice data breach

The alleged hacker responsible for a data breach which rocked the state’s justice system has been tracked down and arrested, almost a month after allegedly accessing nearly 9000 sensitive court documents.

Cybercrime Squad detectives arrest the alleged hacker. Picture: NSW Police

The alleged hacker responsible for a data breach which rocked the state’s justice system has been tracked down and arrested, almost a month after allegedly accessing nearly 9000 sensitive court documents.

Cybercrime detectives have charged a 38-year-old man after raiding a Maroubra address early on Wednesday where they seized two laptops.

Strike Force Amherst was established by the Cybercrime Squad to investigate the alleged unauthorised access to 8769 restricted documents held by the NSW Department of Community and Justice Online Registry Website between January 29 and March 20 this year.

“Strike force detectives, working closely with state and Commonwealth agencies, identified the source of the compromise as an account linked to a registered user of the Online Registry Website,” a police statement read.

The man was charged with accessing or modifying restricted data held in a computer, as well as using a carriage service to harass, stalk and intimidate with the intention to cause fear of physical harm relating to an outstanding warrant.

Cybercrime Squad detectives have charged a man following an investigation into the alleged breach. Picture: NSW Police

He was refused bail to appear in Waverley Local Court on Thursday.

The charges come almost five weeks after NSW Police confirmed the data breach on March 26 after the DCJ’s internal cybersecurity team discovered an account had allegedly accessed thousands of files, including apprehended violence orders.

Detectives seized two laptops from the Maroubra address. Picture: NSW Police

The man covered his face as he was arrested. Picture: NSW Police

At the time, NSW Premier Chris Minns and the Attorney-General Michael Daley urged domestic violence victims to take extra precautions as detectives and private cybersecurity firms raced to track down the identity of the alleged hacker, the scale of the breach and how many people had been affected.

Mr Daley previously said the documents had not been found on the dark web, suggesting the information had not been disseminated.

On Wednesday, Police Minister Yasmin Catley thanked detectives for their “tireless work” throughout the investigation.

“Like many of our specialist police, the NSW Cyber Crime Squad are the best in the business.

They have worked around the clock to resolve this investigation. They deserve heartfelt thanks from all of us.”

Acting Attorney-General Ron Hoenig assured members of the community were not at risk.

“I am assured by the department the matter is now contained and the system is stable,” he said.

The man will face court on Thursday. Picture: NSW Police

“At this stage, no information has been detected on the internet or the dark web.

“To date, no people protected by AVOs or ADVOs have been identified as being at increased risk of harm due to the data breach.”

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Originally published as Maroubra man charged after alleged Department of Community and Justice data breach