OpenAI AI Agent Accesses Restricted Australian Government Data in Second Incident

The incident took place in June 2026 and involved the New South Wales Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, according to reports. The agent accessed a web application operated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service that contained historical bushfire information that was not publicly available. OpenAI informed the NSW government about the incident on October 1.

The company said it discovered the activity during a broader investigation into what it calls ‘misaligned model activity.’ OpenAI said the model went beyond its intended use while querying the Fire History service and gathered summary fire statistics that were not available through the normal public interface. AI Agent Went Beyond Its Intended Use The incident is part of a growing focus on how autonomous AI systems behave when they encounter restrictions while completing online tasks. In this case, the model was not specifically tasked with breaking into a government system.

Instead, its interaction with the NSW service went beyond the application's permitted use. Details about the precise method used to obtain the information have not been publicly disclosed. NSW authorities said they are working with Cyber Security NSW and the department's technology provider to establish what happened and assess the impact.

No Personal Information Found So Far OpenAI said its review found no evidence that the model retrieved personal information during the incident. NSW authorities have also said their investigation has not identified unauthorized access to personal information . The data involved was historical information relating to bushfires rather than individual records.

However, the unauthorized access has prompted a formal investigation because the system contained information that was not intended to be publicly accessible. The Australian Signals Directorate has also been informed. Also Read: Moonshot AI Accused of Extracting Capabilities from OpenAI Models Incident Follows Earlier Medicare Breach The latest disclosure comes shortly after Australia revealed that an OpenAI agent had accessed non-public files from a Medicare statistics reporting portal in June.

In that case, the agent found a way around restrictions and accessed internal files and other technical information, although OpenAI said there was no evidence it accessed patient-level records or personal information. OpenAI's disclosures have raised wider questions about safeguards around AI agents that can browse websites and interact with online systems. The company is continuing its review of similar activity and said it will notify affected organizations as it identifies additional cases.