<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>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.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Birdie Kingston, 27, set upon her path of alleged cybercrime 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.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>They allege her attacks escalated until she was waging an "ongoing and sustained campaign" against the university.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/lachlan-young-pleads-guilty-to-murdering-hannah-mcguire-midtrial-in-victorian-supreme-court/44f22a58-1d8a-4b57-b692-b3f9cc88cdd9" target="_blank"><strong><span>Lachlan Young admits to murdering Hannah McGuire mid-trial</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>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.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Kingston appeared with her parents at Penrith Local Court today.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Magistrate Stephen Corry was told the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions had not decided whether it would take control of the matter from police.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/western-sydney-university-alleged-student-hacker-hides-face-with-jumper-after-fronting-court/673c7c9a-5f06-4125-9979-1ba81475d55a" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>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.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She did not say anything as she struggled to open the door of a waiting car driven by her mother.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/continuous-glucose-monitor-subsidy-type-2-diabetes-exclusive/6ef11a04-9a0f-4e1a-bf88-fefb90101259" target="_blank"><strong><span>Dyan is forced to choose between her health and paying rent</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>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.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She has not made any pleas and her matter will return to the same court on August 1.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>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.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"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.</span></div></div>

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