Australian Ransomware Attack, 17 November 2021

Frontier Software provider of Chris 21 payroll software hit by suspected ransomware attack

The cyber attack left 330 employers without automated payroll

Related: Incident: Cyber attack affects Federal Group payroll system but staff will still be paid | ABC News (Australia)
Source: Chris 21 payroll software provider hit by suspected ransomware attack | iTnews

View other incidents relating to Human Resources.

Frontier Software, the provider of widely-used payroll system Chris 21, has been hit by a suspected cyber attack, forcing some users of the cloud-based software to resort to manual processes.

Frontier Software Australia CEO, Nick Southcombe, “These are the things you plan for, but you hope never happen,” said Southcombe.

Southcombe explained that malware – malicious software – had found its way into Frontier Software’s corporate systems and encrypted some corporate files and data, making them inaccessible.

“The incident impacted some of our corporate systems, which became encrypted by malware. However, Australian customer HR and payroll data and systems are well-segmented from the corporate systems and were not encrypted,” said Southcombe.

“To date, our technical investigations have found no evidence of any Australian customer data being exfiltrated or stolen, which is a testament to the design of our infrastructure and a huge relief.”