South Australia government data breached in ransomware attack
Between 38,000 to 80,000 government employees might have been affected and potentially have had their data posted on the dark web


The government of South Australia has revealed that a ransomware attack on its payroll provider has resulted in around 38,000 to 80,000 government employees' data being exfiltrated and potentially posted on the dark web.
Payroll provider Frontier Software, which has provided payroll services to the government since 2001, announced it had been the target of a cyber attack on 16 November. Yesterday, the company confirmed to the government that its data had been stolen from its network and published on the dark web.
Records of at least 38,000 employees were accessed and up to 80,000 might have been accessed, and the government is currently working with Frontier to try and establish a more accurate estimate.
The data accessed contains employees’ identifying information like first and last name, date of birth, tax file number, home address, bank account details, remuneration, tax withheld, and reportable fringe benefits tax amount.
The government has partnered with a cyber security support service to work with employees to develop a specific response plan and provide personal support throughout the process, at no cost to employees. It is also writing to anyone affected by the breach, which may include former employees who worked for the state between 1 July 2020 and 4 November 2021.
Frontier Software stated on 17 November that it had seen no evidence of any customer data being exfiltrated or stolen, adding that although its corporate systems had been affected, its Australian customer HR & Payroll data and systems were segmented from the corporate systems and were not compromised.
RELATED RESOURCE
Despite this, the company said yesterday that its investigation had confirmed evidence of some data exfiltration from its internal Australian corporate environment which related to a small number of its customers.
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives
This ransomware attack comes after an energy company owned by the Queensland government confirmed it had been hit by a ransomware attack at the end of November. CS Energy said the incident occurred on its corporate network but had not impacted electricity generation at its power stations. It revealed it had contained the attack by segregating the corporate network from other internal networks and enacting business continuity processes.
Zach Marzouk is a former ITPro, CloudPro, and ChannelPro staff writer, covering topics like security, privacy, worker rights, and startups, primarily in the Asia Pacific and the US regions. Zach joined ITPro in 2017 where he was introduced to the world of B2B technology as a junior staff writer, before he returned to Argentina in 2018, working in communications and as a copywriter. In 2021, he made his way back to ITPro as a staff writer during the pandemic, before joining the world of freelance in 2022.
-
How to implement a four-day week in tech
In-depth More companies are switching to a four-day week as they look to balance employee well-being with productivity
-
Intelligence sharing: The boost for businesses
In-depth Intelligence sharing with peers is essential if critical sectors are to be protected
-
Hackers breached a 158 year old company by guessing an employee password – experts say it’s a ‘pertinent reminder’ of the devastating impact of cyber crime
News A Panorama documentary exposed hackers' techniques and talked to the teams trying to tackle them
-
The ransomware boom shows no signs of letting up – and these groups are causing the most chaos
News Thousands of ransomware cases have already been posted on the dark web this year
-
Everything we know about the Ingram Micro cyber attack so far
News A cyber attack on Ingram Micro severely disrupted operations and has been claimed by the SafePay ransomware group.
-
A prolific ransomware group says it’s shutting down and giving out free decryption keys to victims – but cyber experts warn it's not exactly a 'gesture of goodwill'
News The Hunters International ransomware group is rebranding and switching tactics
-
Swiss government data published following supply chain attack – here’s what we know about the culprits
News Radix, a non-profit organization in the health promotion sector, supplies a number of federal offices, whose data has apparently been accessed.
-
Ransomware victims are getting better at haggling with hackers
News While nearly half of companies paid a ransom to get their data back last year, victims are taking an increasingly hard line with hackers to strike fair deals.
-
LockBit data dump reveals a treasure trove of intel on the notorious hacker group
News An analysis of May's SQL database dump shows how much LockBit was really making
-
‘I take pleasure in thinking I can rid society of at least some of them’: A cyber vigilante is dumping information on notorious ransomware criminals – and security experts say police will be keeping close tabs
News An anonymous whistleblower has released large amounts of data allegedly linked to the ransomware gangs