Australian Manufacturer Ransomware Privacy Breach, 28 December 2023

Yakult Australia targeted in cyber attack, employee files published on dark web

95 gigabytes of data including passports, medical assessments, salaries, and performance reviews

Source: Yakult Australia targeted in cyber attack, employee files published on dark web | ABC News Australia

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Yakult Australia, a probiotic company based in Dandenong in Melbourne, was targeted by a cyber attack that resulted in 95 gigabytes of data being published on the dark web by a ransomware group called DragonForce.

The data included sensitive employee information such as passports, medical assessments, salaries, and performance reviews, as well as company documents, contracts, and credit applications. A sample of the files leaked, analysed by the ABC, reveal company data dating back to 2001.

Yakult Australia confirmed the incident on its website and said it was working with cyber experts to investigate the extent of the impact. It also said its offices in Australia and New Zealand were still operating normally.

The attack was discovered on December 23, when staff were locked out of their computers and messages appeared on screens reading “YOU HAVE BEEN PWND”.

The hackers threatened to publish more files if Yakult Australia did not pay a ransom, and directed them to an address on the dark web for instructions on how to recover the files.

Yakult Australia has notified the Australian Cyber Security Centre, the New Zealand National Cyber Security Centre, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner New Zealand.