Australian special forces member allegedly stole and published personal data of intelligence official

It is also alleged offensive cybertools of a sophistication deployed by states were used to hack the private accounts of the Australian citizen, including remotely accessing a private computer.

PMKeyS is the authoritative management record for all defence personnel and holds personal and family data, contact details, health information and employment history details. Unlawful access of PMKeyS is a criminal offence.

The defence department declined to answer specific questions on the investigation, including whether any suspected offenders had been identified.

The foreign government has been informed of the alleged breach.

Defence force members are required to undertake training on their legal obligations before being given access to PMKeyS.

Last month, the department wrote to ADF members over fears the personal data of personnel may have been compromised in a ransomware attack on a communications platform.

In 2018, student data was accessed from the National Security College at the Australian National University. And in 2017, a national security contractor was breached, with hackers stealing significant and sensitive defence supplier data.