An electrical engineering student accused of covertly hacking into her university has resorted to a much less sophisticated strategy to hide her identity: a pink jumper.
Birdie Kingston, 27, set upon her path of alleged cyber-crime by first seeking discounted parking on a Western Sydney University campus and changing one of her grades from a fail to a pass, police claim.
They allege her attacks escalated until she was waging an "ongoing and sustained campaign" against the university.
She is accused of holding the university to ransom beginning in November, eventually demanding $40,000 in cryptocurrency to stop her revealing sensitive data about staff and students.
Kingston appeared with her parents at Penrith Local Court on Friday.
Magistrate Stephen Corry was told the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions had not decided whether it would take control of the matter from police.
Outside court, the 27-year-old was escorted by her father as she covered her head with a light pink jumper to hide her face from reporters.
She did not say anything as she struggled to open the door of a waiting car driven by her mother.
A police search of the student's residence in September 2023 and a further raid of her Kingswood apartment in June resulted in her arrest on 20 fraud and cyber charges.
She has not made any pleas and her matter will return to the same court on August 1.
In June, Western Sydney University said the attacks had a significant impact on the university community and upgrades were made to prevent similar incidents in future.
"This includes employing specialist staff, implementing new technologies that enhance our ability to detect, respond to and defend against threats to our digital environment," it said in a statement.
