The Qilin ransomware gang has listed Australian technology company Seeing Machines as a victim on its darknet leaksite, an incident that has been confirmed by the company.
The hackers behind the incident have so far been tight-lipped about the extent of the compromise, listing only the company’s name in a March 31 leak post.
All that’s known is that, according to a counter on the barebones leak post, more than 7,200 people have viewed the listing since then.
Seeing Machines told Cyber Daily it is aware of Qilin's claims.
“We are aware that a third party has named our company online in connection with claims that some of our data has been accessed,” a company spokesperson said.
“We have taken appropriate steps to respond to these events and are investigating this claim as a matter of priority.”
Seeing Machines said it had not identified any further events in relation to the threat actor’s claims and that it is operating as normal. The spokesperson added that the company has “implemented sophisticated monitoring systems to ensure we are aware if there are any further developments”.
“We are also liaising with the relevant authorities in response to the claim, alongside various experts across the cyber security industry.”
Who is Qilin?
Qilin was first observed in August 2022 and has claimed 1,669 victims since. It has been far and away the most active ransomware group over the last three months, with its nearest rival, Akira, listing 193 victims so far in 2026, compared to Qilin’s 368.
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.
However, for all of its activity, many of the group’s leak posts remain entirely unconfirmed, with neither evidence of the hack nor any data published months later. Some observers have questioned Qilin’s ransomware chops, suggesting the group is more practised at finding open databases online and then extorting the victim; however, in many cases, the leaked data is real and eventually publicly shared.
Who is Seeing Machines
Seeing Machines was spun off from the Australian National University in 2000 in partnership with Volvo Technological Development.
The company’s focus is on reducing transport fatalities using enhanced vision technologies.
“With a focus on ‘mission critical’ applications, we design, manufacture and sell state-of-the-art software, hardware and systems that are currently used, trusted and incorporated across multiple global industries, by some of the world’s most recognisable brands,” the company says on its website.
The company has worked with Qantas, Daimler, Emirates, and Transport for London, and has offices in Australia, the United States, Europe, and Asia.
Want to see more stories from trusted news sources?Make Cyber Daily a preferred news source on Google.
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.