15th August 2025 Cyber Update: Elite Melbourne School Scotch College Hit by Weekend Data Breach Exposing Alumni and Family Records

Update: Scotch College has confirmed it was the target of a cyberattack over the weekend, resulting in a breach that exposed data belonging to families and graduates.

Principal Dr Scott Marsh wrote to the school community and Old Scotch Collegians on Tuesday, confirming the incident and outlining the steps taken in response. As a precaution, all servers were shut down, all user accounts disabled, and non-essential online events postponed. Leading external cybersecurity experts have been engaged to conduct a forensic investigation, with the Australian Cyber Security Centre providing support.

Dr Marsh urged community members to “be vigilant of any suspicious emails and avoid clicking on links, opening attachments, or providing personal information unless you are certain the source is legitimate.” The nature of the data accessed has not yet been determined, but the school has committed to contacting affected individuals directly if sensitive information is confirmed to have been compromised.

Why it Matters: This breach highlights the cybersecurity vulnerabilities facing Australia’s most prestigious educational institutions, many of which hold extensive databases of personal information spanning generations of influential families. With alumni that include leaders in politics, business, science, sport, and the arts, Scotch College presents an attractive target for cybercriminals seeking data that could be used in identity theft or social engineering attacks.

It also follows Monday’s confirmation of a password breach at the University of Western Australia, which locked thousands of staff and students out of its systems. The close timing of these incidents shows the increasing pressure on both schools and universities to strengthen their defences against targeted attacks on authentication systems and personal data.