Thousands of flood victims who applied for a government buyback scheme have had their personal information put into AI program ChatGPT in a major data breach.
Home owners in the Lismore and Northern Rivers areas of NSW had names, email addresses, phone numbers and personal health information put into the website by a contractor tasked with assessing buyback applications.
The data shared was a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet with 10 columns and more than 12,000 rows of information.
The NSW Reconstruction Authority said an investigation into the breach found no evidence that personal information had been accessed by a third party or been made publicly available.
But the authority admitted it "cannot be ruled out" until an investigation by Cyber Security NSW was complete.
"We understand this news is concerning and we are deeply sorry for the distress it may cause for those who have engaged with the program," it said in a statement.
It's believed the data was uploaded between March 12 and 15 by a former contractor, but some victims of the breach still haven't been contacted.
"The process is highly complex and time consuming and we acknowledge that it has taken time to notify people," the statement said.
"Our focus has been on making sure we have all the information we need to notify every impacted person correctly."
"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."
The Northern Rivers buyback scheme saw the NSW government buying back homes in certain locations affected by the Lismore floods of 2022.
It is also available to homes where there is a severe risk of future flood damage and a high risk to life and safety for households.
The state government has purchased more than 800 houses, including more than 500 in Lismore, as part of the scheme.
The Reconstruction Authority has sold 80 homes for relocation and demolished up to 150 as it tries to clear houses from the flood plain.
