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Hackers claim to have stolen 50 gigabytes from an applied behavioural science firm that works closely with the Queensland government.
The Everest ransomware gang claimed last week to have successfully compromised Queensland-based company Evidn and exfiltrated 50 gigabytes of data.
The gang made the claim in a 9 January post to its darknet leak site, adding that a “company representative should follow the instructions to contact us before time runs out”.
A two-week ransom deadline was given, though the gang did not list its ransom demand nor share any evidence of the hack.
Evidn has not responded to Cyber Daily’s request for comment.
The company is the latest victim listed on Everest’s leak site and one of five victims listed so far this month. The gang was first observed in December 2020 and has racked up 238 victims since then.
In August 2024, the US Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center issued a warning about the gang, given its frequent targeting of organisations in the healthcare sector. The gang is known to use legitimate penetration testing tools such as Cobalt Strike during its attacks and is thought to be Russian-speaking.
Evidn is based in Queensland’s Fortitude Valley and offers a range of applied behavioural science services, including profiling and analysis, change programs, and skills training. The company’s clients include the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, Wine Australia, and Bundaberg Regional Council here in Australia, as well as the University of Virginia and Princeton University in the United States.
The company also works with Queensland’s state government.
According to the Queensland government’s Department of Housing and Public Works, “Evidn supports the Queensland government’s procurement priority, ‘Delivering for Queensland’ through its engagement with over 1,300 stakeholders over 10 agricultural industries in over 10 Queensland regions alone, designing tailored programs to create positive practice change, drought resilience, sustainable farming and improved industry cohesion.”
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.
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