Defence e-communications platform ForceNet, which is run by external information and communications technology (ICT) provider Dialog Information Technology, was the target of the new attack.
The company has since told the Department of Defence (DoD) that there was no need to worry, as no data of current or former staff using the platform had been put at risk.
Furthermore, Chief of the Defence Force General Angus Campbell and DoD Secretary Greg Moriarty have said there is no evidence to suggest that any data had been compromised.
Despite this, the pair emphasised that the matter is being investigated, and that the DoD is working with Dialog to evaluate the extent of the attack.
“We are taking this matter very seriously and working with the provider to determine the extent of the attack and if the data of current and former APS staff and ADF personnel has been compromised,” GEN Campbell and Secretary Moriarty stated in a memo to defence staff on Monday.
“Initial discussions with the service provider indicate there is no evidence that the data of current and former APS staff and ADF personnel have been compromised. We are nevertheless examining the contents of the 2018 ForceNet dataset and what personal information it contains.”
ForceNet held between 30,000 and 40,000 records, according to Defence Personnel Minister Matthew Keogh.
“We’re not saying that’s what’s out there but that’s what the external provider held”.