Sydney, Apr 17 (IANS): Australia-based Swinburne University has confirmed that details of more than 5,000 staff and students were inadvertently made available on the Internet.

The information made available was name, email address, and in some cases, a contact phone number.

The University said it was advised last month that this information was available on the Internet.

According to the varsity, their investigation showed that the source of the data was an event registration webpage that is no longer available.

"We took immediate action to investigate and respond to this data breach, including removing the information and conducting an audit, across other similar sites," said the varsity in a statement.

"We sincerely apologise to all those impacted by this data breach and for any concerns it has caused," it added.

The varsity also said it is currently in the process of contacting all individuals whose information was made available to apologise to them and offer appropriate support.

"We have reported the breach to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), followed by the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC), the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TESQA) and the Victorian Education Department," the varsity added.

"Swinburne is committed to protecting personal information. We have a proactive approach to cybersecurity and continue to strengthen our systems to prevent future incidents," it said.