A man accused of hacking into nearly 9,000 files from Australia’s largest online court-filing system was spotted leaving a police station in Sydney, concealing his face and opting not to speak to reporters. The New South Wales (NSW) JusticeLink system allows legal professionals and businesses to submit essential documents for over 400,000 court cases each year.
The suspect, Christopher John Duff, aged 38, allegedly used a registered account to illegally access 8,769 sensitive documents from late January until the breach was discovered in March. Following a thorough investigation by officials from the justice department, which took several days, police were alerted to the unlawful activities.
On March 20, the unauthorized account was disabled. Duff was arrested on April 24 and has been charged with accessing or altering restricted data on a computer. He appeared in Waverley Local Court, where he was granted bail under stringent conditions, including a requirement to report to police daily. Furthermore, he is permitted to carry only a basic mobile phone for calls and texts and is prohibited from approaching any international departure points, such as Circular Quay.
Duff’s bail conditions include a $1,000 surety that will be forfeited if he does not adhere to the stipulations. After his court appearance, he quickly exited the police station and got into a waiting Tesla, still avoiding any interaction with the media.
In response to the breach, senior NSW government minister Ron Hoenig reassured the public that the situation was under control, stating that no personal data had surfaced on the internet or dark web. He also indicated that individuals protected by apprehended violence orders were not at an increased risk of harm due to this incident.
Additionally, Duff is facing separate charges for intimidation and harassment related to incidents from December 2020. He is scheduled to return to court on May 7 to face these allegations.