// CONFIRMED RANSOMWARE ATTACKS · COUNTRY
Ransomnews has confirmed 226 ransomware attacks in Australia between April 2018 and August 2026, each one verified against a public source such as a breach notification, regulatory filing, court record or press report. That is 2.4% of the 9,520 confirmed incidents in the dataset. So far in 2026, 35 have been confirmed, against 42 in 2025 and 47 in 2024. The most affected sector is healthcare, with 44 confirmed victims (19%). Sydney is the city with the most confirmed victims, at 39. Where the operator is attributed, Qilin leads with 16 confirmed victims. A ransom payment is on the public record in 3 cases and a refusal in 33; the outcome is unrecorded in the remaining 190.
Confirmed ransomware attacks in Australia by year
The current year is a partial count. Confirmation lags the attack itself, so recent months keep filling in after the fact; read a low figure for the latest year as incomplete rather than as a decline.
| Year | Confirmed attacks | Ransom paid (public) | Ransom refused (public) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 2019 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| 2020 | 30 | 0 | 5 |
| 2021 | 19 | 1 | 2 |
| 2022 | 14 | 0 | 5 |
| 2023 | 31 | 0 | 6 |
| 2024 | 47 | 0 | 7 |
| 2025 | 42 | 0 | 2 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 35 | 1 | 1 |
Which ransomware groups attack organisations in Australia most
The operator is attributed in 188 of the 226 confirmed incidents. Counts are confirmed victims, not leak-site claims, so they run well below the totals the groups publish about themselves. Group names link to the live Ransomtracker profile where one exists.
Most active groups by confirmed victims
Where the confirmed attacks in Australia fall
Most affected sectors
Cities with the most confirmed victims
Ransom payment outcomes in Australia
Among the 36 confirmed incidents in Australia where the outcome is on the public record, 3 paid and 33 refused, a disclosed payment rate of 8.3%. The remaining 190 carry no public statement either way. Victims that pay have every incentive to stay quiet and public bodies are the most likely to announce a refusal, so treat this as the disclosed rate, not the true one. The ransomware payment rate analysis explains how the disclosed rate has moved since 2018 and how it compares with incident-response firm samples.
Largest confirmed ransomware attacks in Australia by records exposed
Record counts are recorded only where a named source disclosed them, which is the minority of cases, so this table ranks disclosed impact rather than true impact.
| Date | Organisation | Sector | Location | Records | Group | Ransom paid | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2023 | Latitude Financial | Finance | Melbourne, Australia | 14,000,000 | — | No | abc.net.au |
| May 2024 | MediSecure | Healthcare | Melbourne, Australia | 12,900,000 | Ansgar | Unknown | medisecure.com.au |
| September 2022 | Optus | Utilities | Sydney, Australia | 9,800,000 | — | Unknown | afr.com |
| October 2022 | Medibank | Finance | Melbourne, Australia | 9,700,000 | — | No | reuters.com |
| March 2025 | Compumedics Limited | Healthcare | Abbotsford, Australia | 320,404 | Van Helsing | Unknown | compumedics.com.au |
| February 2022 | Australian Clinical Labs - Medlab Pathology | Healthcare | Auburn, Australia | 223,000 | Quantum | Unknown | bleepingcomputer.com |
| December 2023 | Nissan Australia | Manufacturing | Mulgrave, Australia | 100,000 | Akira | Unknown | scmagazine.com |
| February 2024 | ZircoDATA | Service | Bentleigh, Australia | 60,000 | Black Basta | Unknown | cyberdaily.au |
| April 2023 | Pareto Phone | Other | Fortitude Valley, Australia | 50,000 | LockBit | Unknown | australiancybersecuritymagazine.com.au |
| November 2021 | Frontier Software | Technology | Melbourne, Australia | 38,000 | — | Unknown | theregister.com |
Most recent confirmed ransomware attacks in Australia
The 25 most recently confirmed of 226 incidents, newest first. Every row links to the public source it was verified against.
| Date | Organisation | Sector | Location | Records | Group | Ransom paid | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2026 | Sia Medical Centre | Healthcare | Essendon, Australia | — | Rhysida | Unknown | cyberdaily.au |
| August 2026 | Nick Scali | Manufacturing | Sydney, Australia | — | — | Yes | peteraclarke.com.au |
| July 2026 | Pennant Hills Golf Club | Other | Sydney, Australia | — | Qilin | Unknown | cyberdaily.au |
| July 2026 | Downies Collectables Pty Ltd. | Retail | Nunawading, Australia | — | SETTRA | Unknown | downies.com |
| July 2026 | Asset Flooring Group Australia | Service | Hallam, Australia | — | Qilin | Unknown | cyberdaily.au |
| July 2026 | Townsville Christian College | Education | Vincent, Australia | — | — | No | townsvillebulletin.com.au |
| July 2026 | LR Reed | Retail | Melbourne, Australia | — | Kairos | Unknown | cyberdaily.au |
| July 2026 | Royal Foods Aust Pty Ltd | Food and Beverage | Hemmant, Australia | — | The Gentlemen | Unknown | echonewspaper.com.au |
| June 2026 | Partnered Health | Healthcare | Eastwood, Australia | — | INC | Unknown | partneredhealth.com.au |
| June 2026 | NSW Rural Fire Service | Government | Sydney, Australia | — | Nova (RALord) | Unknown | cyberdaily.au |
| June 2026 | Reynella East College | Education | Reynella East, Australia | — | Interlock | Unknown | facebook.com |
| June 2026 | Mackay Sugar | Food and Beverage | Ooralea, Australia | — | The Gentlemen | Unknown | mkysugar.com.au |
| May 2026 | ALS Global | Service | Bowen Hills, Australia | — | Aur0ra | Unknown | alsglobal.com |
| May 2026 | Australian College of Business Intelligence | Education | Sydney, Australia | — | Qilin | Unknown | cyberdaily.au |
| May 2026 | VSP Security Wholesale | Retail | St Peters, Australia | — | Stormous | Unknown | vspsolutions.com.au |
| May 2026 | Kennedy McLaughlin & Associates | Finance | Spring Hill, Australia | — | Qilin | Unknown | cyberdaily.au |
| May 2026 | Bluize | Technology | Somerton, Australia | — | Qilin | Unknown | cyberdaily.au |
| May 2026 | Menzies Group Pty Ltd | Service | Malvern, Australia | — | Qilin | Unknown | cyberdaily.au |
| May 2026 | Scope Systems Pty Ltd | Technology | Perth, Australia | — | — | Unknown | scopesystems.com.au |
| April 2026 | Brighton East Dental Clinic | Healthcare | Brighton East, Australia | — | INC | Unknown | bedc.com.au |
| April 2026 | Friendly Care Management Pty Ltd (FriendlyCare Pharmacy) | Healthcare | Booval, Australia | — | Kairos | Unknown | friendlycare.com.au |
| April 2026 | Gregory Jewellers | Retail | Sydney, Australia | — | Kairos | Unknown | cyberdaily.au |
| April 2026 | Goodstone Group | Other | Ulverstone, Australia | — | CMD Organization | Unknown | cyberdaily.au |
| April 2026 | Generation Life | Finance | Melbourne, Australia | — | Qilin | Unknown | genlife.com.au |
| April 2026 | Champion Homes | Construction | Sydney, Australia | — | DragonForce/The Gentlemen | Unknown | cyberdaily.au |
Frequently asked questions
How many ransomware attacks in Australia have been confirmed?
Ransomnews has confirmed 226 ransomware attacks in Australia since April 2018, including 35 so far in 2026. Each one is verified against a public source such as a breach notification, regulatory filing or press report. The true total is higher, because many victims never disclose; confirmed counts are a floor, not a ceiling.
Which ransomware group is most active in Australia?
Qilin, with 16 confirmed victims, followed by INC (10) and Medusa (10). These are confirmed victims, not leak-site claims, counted among the 188 incidents where the operator is attributed.
Which sector is hit most by ransomware in Australia?
Healthcare, with 44 confirmed incidents (19% of the total). Service follows with 21, then Manufacturing with 19.
Which cities in Australia have the most confirmed ransomware attacks?
Sydney (39), Melbourne (32), Brisbane (9), Victoria (6), Adelaide (5). City is recorded where the victim organisation is headquartered or the incident was reported, so distributed organisations are counted once.
How often do ransomware victims in Australia pay the ransom?
Among the 36 confirmed incidents in Australia with a public outcome, 3 paid and 33 refused, a disclosed payment rate of 8.3%. Most victims never state whether they paid, and those who pay have the least reason to say so, so the disclosed rate understates real payment behaviour. The payment rate analysis tracks this figure since 2018.
What is the largest confirmed Australia ransomware attack by records exposed?
Latitude Financial (Melbourne, Australia, March 2023), with 14,000,000 records exposed according to abc.net.au. Record counts exist only where a source disclosed them, so this ranks disclosed impact.
How to read this page. Every incident counted here was verified by Ransomnews against at least one public source. Leak-site listings alone do not qualify, because operators inflate, duplicate and occasionally fabricate claims, so these totals are a defensible floor rather than a full census. Records exposed and ransom outcomes appear only where a named source disclosed them. The page is regenerated from the live database, which refreshes weekly. Cite as: Ransomnews Confirmed Ransomware Attacks Dataset, ransomnews.com, with a link to this page. Bulk access and methodology questions: [email protected]. See also the monthly ransomware statistics and the Ransomtracker.