What happened
On 21 December 2023 Court Services Victoria was alerted to a cyber incident in which recordings of some court hearings may have been accessed [csv-stmt-2jan], [csv-co]. CSV said potential access was confined to recordings stored on the in-court audio-visual network, mostly from 1 November to 21 December 2023, with some earlier recordings; for the Children’s Court, it was limited to one hearing in October 2023 [csv-stmt-2jan]. Transcription services were disrupted, but CSV did not say transcripts were accessed [csv-stmt-2jan], [csv-bc]. It disclosed the incident in January 2024.
Current status
Disclosed. The Department of Government Services was engaged in the response [csv-stmt-2jan]; CSV thanked Victoria Police and named IDCARE as supporting affected people [csv-co]. A ransomware group was named in media reports, but Court Services Victoria has not confirmed the actor [csv-bc]. No count of affected individuals has been published.
Why it matters
Court recordings can contain the most sensitive testimony a person ever gives — including in family, children’s and coronial matters — making their exposure unusually serious.