Privacy Commissioner Statement on the Service NSW cyber incident - November 2020

The Privacy Commissioner has received further updates from the Department of Customer Service regarding the data breach resulting from a cyber incident earlier this year and the actions being taken by Service NSW to notify and support customers affected by the breach.

Letters to notify people affected by the breach are currently being sent out and this process is expected to be completed in coming weeks.

The Privacy Commissioner encourages people who receive a letter notifying them about the breach to access the support options that have been set up to assist them.

Support for people affected by the breach is available through the Hypercare team, as well as through IDCare, which is Australia & New Zealand's national identity and cyber support service.

Details about how to access the Hypercare and IDCare services are available in the letter sent to each individual to notify them of the breach.

The Privacy Commissioner will continue to provide advice and assistance to Service NSW in relation to the privacy impacts arising from the incident, in order to provide the best outcomes for people affected.

ENDS

For further information, please contact:

IPC media team on 0435 961 691 or email ccadigital@ipc.nsw.gov.au

For further information about the IPC visit our website at www.ipc.nsw.gov.au

About the NSW Privacy Commissioner

Samantha Gavel was appointed as NSW Privacy Commissioner on 4 September 2017. Her role is to promote public awareness and understanding of privacy rights in NSW, as well as provide information, support, advice and assistance to agencies and the general public.

About the Information and Privacy Commission:

The Information and Privacy Commission NSW (IPC) is an independent statutory authority that administers New South Wales’ legislation dealing with privacy and access to government information. The IPC supports the Information Commissioner and the Privacy Commissioner in fulfilling their legislative responsibilities and functions and to ensure individuals and agencies can access consistent information, guidance and coordinated training about information access and privacy matters.

Download a copy of the statement here.

Please note since June 2021, the IPC media team email address has changed. Please send all media enquiries to communications@ipc.nsw.gov.au. All emails sent to the old CCA Digital address will be forwarded to the new address until switch over completion in December 2021.