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An Australian office supplier has fallen victim to an alleged hack as internal documents are published on the darknet.
The Qilin ransomware operation has listed the Australian office and stationery chain store Office National as a victim on its darknet leak site.
In a post dated 30 May, Qilin already published five documents to prove the hack’s success. The documents include a franchisee agreement form with multiple signatures, insurance documents, a supplier information form with banking details, and an extract from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s (ASIC) business database.
The documents all appear to be from a single Queensland franchise of the chain, suggesting that possibly just that store has fallen victim to a ransomware attack. Qilin has not yet shared any details regarding how much data it exfiltrated, nor any ransom demand or date of publication of the full data set.
Cyber Daily has reached out to Office National for comment but has yet to receive a reply.
Qilin takes its name from a mythical Chinese creature, though members of the operation have been observed conversing in Russian on hacking forums, leading researchers to believe the hackers are based somewhere in the Confederation of Independent States. Qilin is a ransomware-as-a-service operation hiring itself out to any affiliate willing to pass on some of its profits.
The gang was first observed in August 2022 and has since then claimed 482 victims, and its most recent Australian victim was Moonee Ponds-based MKA Accountants, which was listed on the group’s leak site in May.
The gang was also responsible for a devastating attack on the UK-based pathology services provider Synnovis Group, which impacted five London hospitals in June 2024. The attack was declared a critical incident and led to severe disruptions to patient procedures and operations.
Office National is a chain of “independently owned and operated” stores. Its head office is in Pymble, NSW, and there are 180 stores in every state and territory bar the ACT.
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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