The Qilin ransomware-as-a-service group has listed a Western Australian food co-operative as a victim on its darknet leak site and is claiming to have stolen 40 gigabytes of internal data.
The hackers made the claims in a February 11 leak post, which claimed that Qilin – or, more accurately, one of its affiliates – had gotten away with 55,361 files.
While many of Qilin’s affiliates will share further details of their activities, including sample data and descriptions of compromised files, no such data has been provided in this case. Similarly, the hackers have not shared a ransom deadline or demand.
The Mount Barker Co-operative did not respond to Cyber Daily’s request for comment.
Who is Qilin
Qilin was first observed in August 2022 and has claimed 1,469 victims since, making it one of the most active ransomware groups currently in operation. Cyber Daily last reported on a Qilin cyber attack in December 2025, when it targeted New Zealand property firm Hopper Developments.
At that time, Qilin had racked up “only” 1,209 victims. According to cyber security firm Check Point’s 2025 State of Cyber Security report, the group was responsible for fully five per cent of all ransomware attacks carried out globally in November 2024, and as of 2026, Qilin is far and away the top ransomware group in the world.
Like other RaaS operations, Qilin offers its ransomware to affiliates in return for a cut of any ransom profits. Cyber security training company SANS has noted that the group is highly active on certain hacking forums.
“Qilin is advertised on the exclusive Russian-speaking forum RAMP (short for Ransom Anon Market Place [sic]), where acquiring an account can cost up to $500 in BTC,” SANS said in an October 2025 blog post.
Who is the Mount Barker Co-operative?
The Mount Barker Co-operative was formed in 1918 and was initially set up to support local apple growers, but has since transformed into a wider community support organisation.
“The Co-operative has evolved with time and is a unique type of business,” Co-op says on its website.
“Profits remain in our local community, which benefits the town through improvements to our facilities, sponsorships to local community groups and most importantly rewards, dividends, and discounts to our members.”
The Co-op runs several businesses, including the local IGA, Mitre 10, and Cellarbrations stores. As of the 2025 Annual Report, the Mount Barker Co-operative had 2,414 paying members.
David Hollingworth
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.