Privacy Breach

In March 2022, we were alerted to a possible breach of data due to an attack on a server owned and managed by a third party, XRX Business Centre (XEROX) storing data for St Anthony’s Catholic College, Deeragun.

Although there is no evidence that information was downloaded or transferred from the server, Townsville Catholic Education takes the security of the information you provide to us very seriously and have moved quickly to secure data and it is our priority to work with XRX Business Centre to ensure continued data protection. We have also informed the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner as part of our commitment to transparency.

The data that was stored on the server was student and staff records from a period of 2012 to 2022.  The information stored includes sensitive data which has been supplied to the college, such as:

• Financial details
• Identity details such as Passport and Drivers’ licence information
• Health information
• Contact information
• Other sensitive information contained on enrolment forms (e.g. religious views)

Unfortunately, we cannot track the extent of the breach, only that there was unauthorised access, meaning the server was compromised for a period of time. We will continue to work with XRX Business Centre on this matter.   

Townsville Catholic Education’s Information Technology Services Team have prepared the following advice to help to protect your information.

1. Change passwords frequently and ensure you do not keep passwords where they can be easily accessed.
2. Create strong passwords. It’s also better to create a unique password instead of using the same password across multiple sites.
3. Monitor credit card and bank statements to check for fraudulent activity.
4. Be aware of suspicious emails and text messages (spam). Scams can look like communications from a bank, utility company, or other corporate entity. Certain things like spelling errors or a different email address than the typical sender can be a clue that the email is spam. Watch out for links and attachments.
5. Consider additional protection such as anti-virus software, anti-spyware software, and a firewall.

Townsville Catholic Education and St Anthony’s Catholic College apologises for any concern that this breach may cause.

For further information about this issue, please contact St Anthony’s Catholic College on 47 517300, or email us at informationprivacy@sacc.catholic.edu.au. Additional information about online personal security in Australia can be found at oaic.gov.au or cyber.gov.au