Australian gov says 'sensitive' data caught in HWL Ebsworth breach

Sensitive personal and government information held by “a number” of Australian federal entities was “released” as part of an attack on law firm HWL Ebsworth in May, according to Australia’s national cyber security coordinator.

Air Marshal Darren Goldie, who took on the coordinator role at the start of the week, said in a statement that his “first order of business” was to deal with the fallout of the HWL Ebsworth breach.

“A number of Australian government entities have been impacted by the HWL Ebsworth cyber incident, with sensitive personal and government information released,” Goldie said.

“I am actively engaging with HWL Ebsworth to understand the complete picture of this incident, including how their private industry clients have been impacted, as the data analysis continues.”

Goldie said that impacted entities are starting to notify affected individuals “about the impacts the data breach has had on their information”.

Home Affairs’ legal services working group is conducting regular meetings with the law firm “on addressing the impacts from the cyber incident for government entities.”

Separately, the government is also providing assistance to HWL Ebsworth “to address issues for [the firm’s] broader client base.”

The Tasmanian government has some exposure to the incident.

Banks were also among the firm’s clients, with the likes of ANZ and NAB saying last month they were seeking to understand their exposure.

The ALPVH/BlackCat group has claimed responsibility for the attack.