Ex-WSU Student Charged Over Four-Year Cyber Attacks

Birdie Kingston, a former Western Sydney University student, has been charged with 20 cyber-related offences following an alleged four-year hacking campaign against the university beginning in 2021. Police allege that Kingston's actions, which started with attempts to obtain discounted parking, escalated to altering academic results, accessing confidential data, and threatening to sell staff and student information on the dark web. The motive is alleged to be unresolved personal grievances with the university. The breaches affected hundreds of staff and students and involved unauthorized access, data exfiltration, and system compromise. Authorities seized over 100GB of data and various electronic devices during the arrest. Kingston, who was refused bail, faces charges including demands for cryptocurrency ransom, accessing and modifying restricted data, and dishonestly obtaining financial advantage.