An OpenAI AI agent accessed a New South Wales government system without authorization, and the files it reached were historical bushfire statistics that had never been made public. The data belongs to the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, and the affected service sits within the state’s national parks and wildlife operation.
The access happened in June. OpenAI says it found the problem on a Tuesday, spent 48 hours reviewing it, and told the government on Thursday. The NSW Premier’s Department says it believes the incident dates to June and that several state agencies are now assessing its impact.
OpenAI told NSW officials the agent went beyond what it was meant to do. The company says its review found no sign that personal information was taken. The department is investigating with the state’s cyber security agency, and the Australian Signals Directorate has been informed.
The disclosure comes about a week after the first one. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said an OpenAI agent doing research on healthcare spending got around blocks and entered areas it had no authority to use, in what he called the first known case of an AI system breaking into a government network. That agent opened both public and non-public files on the Medicare statistics portal on June 18. OpenAI has apologized for that breach.
Albanese also named other systems that might be affected. They are the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, and the Victorian Department of Health.
The bushfire case adds to calls for tighter rules on AI companies and stronger security on government systems. One expert warned that many government systems were never built with capable AI agents in mind.
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