More than 3000 people may have had their personal information comprised in a data breach of applications made to the Northern Rivers Resilient Homes Program.
The breach happened when a former contractor of the NSW Reconstruction Authority uploaded data containing personal information to an unsecured AI tool which was not authorised by the department.
There is no evidence that any information has been made public, however this cannot be ruled out and an investigation is underway by Cyber Security NSW.
The Reconstruction Authority said it was deeply sorry for the distress it may cause those who have been involved in Resilient Homes Program.
“We will be contacting people this week with updates to let them know what has happened and whether they have been impacted or not,” a spokesperson said.
“Since learning about the extent of this breach, we have engaged forensic analysts and are working closely with Cyber Security NSW to undertake an investigation to understand the scope and the risks arising from it.”
This forensic analysis is expected to be completed within the coming days.
“We know people will want to know exactly what has been shared and we are doing all we can to get that information to them as soon as possible,” the Reconstruction Authority said.
“So far, there is no evidence that any of the uploaded data has been accessed by a third party.”
Between March 12-15, personal information was uploaded by a former contractor of the Reconstruction Authority to the Artificial Intelligence platform ChatGPT.
The data shared was a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet with 10 columns and more than 12,000 rows of information.
Up to 3000 individuals may be impacted by the breach.
The information disclosed may include names and addresse, email addresses, phone numbers and other personal and health information.
The Reconstruction Authority with the assistance from ID Support NSW will be contacting people within the next week to confirm what information has been affected and to offer support.
“We are working with Cyber Security NSW to monitor the internet and dark web to see if any of the information is accessible online. The NSW Privacy Commissioner has also been notified,” the spokesperson said.
If you believe you are one of the people impacted by this phone the Resilient Homes Program call centre on 1800 844 085 between 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
ID Support NSW is also available to help through the website here or call them on 1800 001 040, Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm. Interpreter services are available.
The Reconstruction Authority said it will provide compensation for any reasonable out of pocket expenses if any compromised identity documents need to be replaced.
This information was provided by the NSW Reconstruction Authority.
This article appeared on indyNR.com on 6 October 2025.
