Login
iscover
Share this article on:
Powered by
MOMENTUM
MEDIA
Powered by MOMENTUMMEDIA
Health, identity, and financial data of West Australian legal practitioners were compromised by a Dire Wolf ransomware attack in May.
The Legal Practice Board of Western Australia (LPBWA) has said it has begun notifying individuals whose data was compromised following a cyber attack performed by the Dire Wolf ransomware gang in May.
“Following a comprehensive investigation, the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia (the board) has commenced notifying individuals whose data was involved in a cyber incident earlier this year,” a board spokesperson said in a 1 October statement.
“The board has confirmed that its investigation into the cyber incident has determined that some additional data was accessed beyond the small amount of information disclosed in May, which was addressed at the time.”
The board said that some of those affected by the data breach were legal practitioners and that the data impacted includes health, financial, and personal information.
“The board advises that it is continuing to assess whether any other information was involved and will issue further notifications should this be required,” the board said.
“Importantly, for those with information involved, the board has confirmed that it has not detected any disclosure of data other than the data disclosed in May. This data was also removed within 24 hours following takedown efforts. The board continues to monitor the dark web for any further disclosures and will take appropriate action as required.”
Dire Wolf’s leak site still features LPBWA’s leak post, where it claims to have stolen 300 gigabytes of data; however, the link to the published data is non-functional at the time of writing.
Libby Fulham, the LPBWA’s executive director, said the board “takes the protection of the data we hold very seriously”.
“We have undertaken a comprehensive investigation and are conducting a detailed review of the data involved in this incident to ensure we can provide individuals involved with tailored guidance and appropriate support,” Fulham said.
“I would like to assure our stakeholders that we have not detected any disclosure of any data beyond that disclosed in May. From our investigation, we believe the risk of any disclosure or misuse of data to be low. We have also secured an injunction to prevent any access, dissemination or sharing of any data involved in this incident.”
Fulham said she understands such data breach notifications are a cause for concern, and apologised for any distress caused by the incident.
“We are committed to doing all we can to support those individuals involved and have implemented a number of services to ensure timely advice and support is available, tailored to individual needs,” Fulham said.
The board has also been working to restore online services that were disrupted by the attack and has been using manual workarounds to continue processing practising certificates.
Cyber Security Western Australia, which is part of the Office of Digital Government in the Department of Premier and Cabinet, has been working closely with the board throughout its response.
Wolf attack
The Dire Wolf ransomware attack took place on 21 May, with the hackers sharing details of the hack on 26 May. Limited sample data was published at the time, which the board confirmed was legitimate.
“Some limited corporate correspondence was disclosed on Tuesday, 27 May, which was removed within 24 hours following takedown efforts,” Fulham told Cyber Daily in August.
“This correspondence contained minimal contact information, some operational and resourcing information, and bank account details for the board and a very small number of third parties who have been directly notified.”
A further data set was published by the hackers on 19 June; however, this data, according to the board, was not related to the LPBWA.
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.
Be the first to hear the latest developments in the cyber industry.
