Australia experienced record data breaches in 2024
In 2024, data breaches in Australia hit an all-time high. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) received 1,113 notifications throughout the year. That’s a 25% increase from 2023, where there were 893 incidents. This isn’t just a spike, it’s a clear signal we’re operating in a high-risk digital environment. The volume of exposed information is growing, and the criticality of rapid detection and response has never been more obvious.
The rise in breach notifications also tells us something deeper, organizations are under pressure, and many are still behind the curve in cybersecurity readiness. This applies across the board: businesses, nonprofits, government agencies. If you’re responsible for handling sensitive data, you’re a target, and your job is to stay ahead of that risk.
For C-suite leadership, this means shifting from a reactive mindset to intentional, proactive planning. You can’t delegate cybersecurity off to compliance anymore. It’s an operational issue. It’s a boardroom priority. If it fails, it derails everything from customer trust to continuity.
Carly Kind, the Australian Privacy Commissioner, was direct. She stated this increase underscores “significant threats to Australians’ privacy that organisations need to effectively manage.” She’s right. This isn’t a passing trend. Malicious actors aren’t going anywhere. If you aren’t already scaling your security posture and investing in operational resilience, you’re late.
Malicious and cyberattacks are the primary drivers of data breaches
In the second half of 2024, out of every ten breaches reported to the OAIC, nearly seven were caused by malicious attacks. Of those, over 60% were tied to direct cyber incidents, ransomware, credential theft, unauthorized access. These are deliberate, targeted, and engineered to cause damage or profit from stolen data.
What this means is simple: most breaches are strategic. Threat actors are skilled. They know where systems are weak, where software is outdated, and where human error can be exploited. Phishing and impersonation are common entry points, and they’re still alarmingly effective. That has to stop.
For executive leadership, ask yourself this: can your organization handle a breach at scale? If the answer is no, or if you’re unsure, then it’s time to overhaul your security roadmap. Cost is a factor, but the cost of downtime, legal fallout, and permanent brand damage is far higher.
Health services and government agencies are disproportionately affected by data breaches
In 2024, health service providers and government agencies were responsible for a combined 37% of all reported data breaches in Australia. Health providers alone accounted for 20%, while government agencies were the source of 17%. These sectors handle large volumes of sensitive data, medical records, identification details, personal histories, and store them in environments that, in many cases, have not evolved fast enough to meet current threat levels.
It’s clear these sectors are high-value targets. Attackers know that critical services can’t afford downtime, and personal data stored by these organizations fetches a premium value on illicit markets. Unfortunately, many of these systems are still operating on legacy infrastructure, leaving major vulnerabilities exposed.
What’s especially concerning is the report’s finding that public sector organizations, including federal and state agencies, still lag behind private enterprise in detecting and reporting breaches quickly. While there have been improvements, the gap in speed has real consequences. The longer it takes to identify, the more time attackers have to exploit the breach before anyone even knows it happened.
Carly Kind, Australian Privacy Commissioner, pointed this out directly. She noted that individuals “often don’t have a choice but to provide their personal information to access government services.” Because of that inherent trust, the bar for data protection should be higher, not lower.
For leadership across healthcare and government, this is a moment to re-evaluate digital infrastructure and governance. Threat detection tools, encryption systems, and internal access controls must meet today’s standards. If you’re responsible for this data and your systems haven’t caught up you’re exposed.
Delays in breach detection and notification exacerbate risks to individuals
Timing matters. In the context of data breaches, it’s everything. When organizations fail to detect and report breaches quickly, downstream effects hit harder and spread faster. Identity theft, fraudulent transactions, reputational damage, these outcomes are amplified by slow responses. And based on the OAIC’s 2024 findings, this issue still hasn’t been solved across much of the public sector.
The principle is straightforward: the faster people are informed that their data has been compromised, the faster they can respond to protect themselves. That means changing passwords, monitoring accounts, updating security settings. But if they don’t know, they can’t act. Every delay increases risk.
Carly Kind made the urgency clear in her comments: “Time is of the essence with data breaches as the risk of serious harm often increases as days pass. Timely notification ensures people are informed and can take steps to protect themselves.” That should be the starting point for any C-suite strategy dealing with breach response.
Many executives still treat breach response as a compliance activity instead of an operational one. That approach is outdated. Every company should be running breach simulations the way they run financial audits or performance reviews.
To move forward, invest in smart detection systems that can surface anomalies in real time. Integrate those systems with rapid alert protocols. And most importantly, ensure your legal, IT, and communications teams are aligned on what actions to take from minute one.
High-profile breaches highlight systemic vulnerabilities across multiple sectors
The biggest breaches in 2024 serve as clear indicators that systemic weaknesses are still widespread across both public and private institutions. MediSecure, a national electronic prescription provider, lost control of medical and personal information relating to approximately 12.9 million Australians in a ransomware attack. That’s nearly half the country. A hit that size is confirmation that core infrastructure still isn’t protected at the level it needs to be.
Other incidents compounded the point. Taxi provider 13cabs reported unauthorized activity on their networks. Western Sydney University confirmed nearly 10,000 student records were compromised. The Australian Human Rights Commission experienced a breach that exposed private complaint documentation. These weren’t isolated events. They were part of a consistent pattern that leaders can’t afford to ignore.
Previous years gave us Optus and Medibank breaches, massive incidents, millions of impacted individuals, major media attention. But the trend line points to more frequent, more complex breaches, no longer limited to large corporations. Mid-sized enterprises, academic institutions, and government departments are all being hit. Being “less prominent” won’t protect your systems from being targeted.
If you’re leading an organization today, this data is a call to reassess your full digital security architecture. Bottom-line accountability falls on leadership, not IT departments. If your board doesn’t have visibility on breach readiness metrics, you’re flying blind. Threat actors look for friction points. Weak passwords, unrestricted access, outdated software. You have to eliminate entry points, or you’re building a risky future.
These incidents confirm it: scale doesn’t protect you. Reputation doesn’t protect you. Only execution does.
Enhanced regulatory oversight and enforcement are critical responses to rising data breach incidents.
Regulators are responding to the rising threat with sharper tools and stronger enforcement. In 2024, the OAIC escalated its regulatory activity by accepting formal undertakings from organizations that failed to meet required standards, like Oxfam Australia, which was penalized following a 2021 data breach.
The OAIC is putting out timely guidance to highlight where companies are exposed. In its recent communication, the OAIC drew direct attention to phishing, impersonation, and social engineering, tactics that are driving many of the breaches across sectors.
Carly Kind, the Australian Privacy Commissioner, has been clear: industries must become more consistent and responsible in managing privacy. That means more than compliance checkboxes. It means operational discipline, mandatory breach simulations, and best-practice cybersecurity baked into executive strategy.
If you’re on the executive team, take this seriously. Regulatory frameworks are tightening. Expect increased scrutiny, stricter fines, and a higher threshold for what counts as “reasonable precautions.” The time to wait-and-see is done. Proactive compliance now is far cheaper than reactionary damage control later.
Every sector needs to prepare for a future where enforcement isn’t rare, it’s the norm. The standards are rising. And they should. If you’re entrusted with people’s data, you have a responsibility to protect it.
Main highlights
- Australia’s data breach volume is accelerating: Breach notifications reached 1,113 in 2024, a 25% annual increase and the highest ever recorded. Leaders must elevate cybersecurity as a board-level priority to manage rising digital risk exposure.
- Cyberattacks are the dominant threat vector: 69% of breaches in late 2024 were malicious, with most tied to cyber incidents like ransomware and phishing. Executives should invest in real-time threat detection, employee training, and robust incident prevention systems.
- Health and government sectors are prime targets: Healthcare and public agencies accounted for 37% of all breaches, exposing critical gaps in systems handling sensitive data. Sector leaders must modernize outdated infrastructure and enforce tighter access controls.
- Slow breach response increases damage: Public sector entities continue to lag in spotting and reporting data losses, delaying protective action for affected individuals. Organizations must implement fast-track breach response plans that cut detection and notification time.
- Systemic risks exposed by major attacks: Breaches at MediSecure, 13cabs, WSU, and others revealed deep vulnerabilities across industries, affecting millions. Executives should audit and upgrade core systems now, focusing on high-risk and high-impact data environments.
- Regulatory action is tightening: The OAIC’s enforcement actions, including those against Oxfam, and its focus on phishing and social engineering, signal stricter oversight. Compliance is no longer optional, leaders must align privacy practices with evolving regulator expectations or face increased penalties.
