Australian Law Firm Hack Affected 65 Government Agencies

Australian Federal Police, Department of Home Affairs Reportedly Among the Victims Mihir Bagwe (MihirBagwe) • September 18, 2023

An April ransomware attack against one of Australia's largest law firms swept up the data of 65 Australian government agencies, the country's newly appointed national cybersecurity coordinator said Monday.

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The Russian-speaking Alphv hacking group - also known as BlackCat - claimed responsibility earlier this year for hacking HWL Ebsworth, publishing in late May what it said was 1.45 gigabytes of stolen law firm data. HWL Ebsworth in June acknowledged the hack and said it had obtained a court injunction against further dissemination of confidential firm data.

In a Monday announcement, Air Marshal Darren Goldie, the first person to occupy the position of national cybersecurity coordinator, said a 16-week-long investigation had revealed that data from dozens of Australian government entities ...