Global hacking group targets North Queensland cane producer

A Russian-speaking ransomware operation known as The Gentlemen has reportedly claimed responsibility for a cyberattack that shut down two regional Queensland sugar mills for a week. The Racecourse and Farleigh mills have been non-operational since June 10. Farleigh mill processed cane harvested before the attack, and both mills have conducted steam trials to prepare for a staged restart. Cyber security expert Andrew Philp confirmed The Gentlemen made the claim via a dark web website but stated the attacker could not be independently verified. The Gentlemen, a ransomware-as-a-service operation, has claimed attacks on 320 targets, but Check Point Research estimates the actual number of victims is around 1,570, with Australia being the fourth-most-targeted nation. Philp noted that the group typically publishes data to prove a breach, which was not observed in this case. Queensland Police Service and the Australian Federal Police declined to comment. Mackay Sugar is working to verify the claims and assess the extent of any accessed information. The company stated this would not affect plans to restart operations by the end of the week, acknowledging the impact on growers and pledging support. Many of the 1,300 farms supplying Mackay Sugar have paused harvesting, with farmer Charles Townley concerned about growing financial losses. He anticipates delays could extend the milling season into wetter weather, reducing sugar content and profitability.

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The normal sort of method that a group will use is that they'll publish a little bit of data that sort of shows that they have been inside of the environment.