Login
iscover
Share this article on:
Powered by
MOMENTUM
MEDIA
Powered by MOMENTUMMEDIA
The DragonForce ransomware gang claims hack and has published more than five gigabytes of backup files online.
The DragonForce ransomware operation has listed Australian healthcare provider the Heart Centre as a victim on its darknet leak site.
The gang is claiming to have stolen just over five gigabytes of data from the Heart Centre, and that data has already been published.
The data comprises four .bak file backups: StatMims backup, Stat backup, mspdata backup, and mspref backup.
The date of the post is January 24 2025, though the incident was only listed on various threat-tracking sites this week. DragonForce did not list any ransom demand, saying only that the stolen data is now “publicated”.
DragonForce apparently contacted ransomware reporting site SuspectFile around the end of January and claimed that the data included “sensitive information such as patient data, diagnoses, and other protected health information”. According to that communication, the date of the actual hack was January 16
Cyber Daily has reached out to the Heart Centre for comment but has yet to receive a reply.
DragonForce has racked up 132 victims since it was first observed in December 2023, and is ranked 136 in terms of total victim count. Some analysts have suggested the ransomware group is linked to Malaysian hacktivists DragonForce Malaysia, though that appears to be entirely based on the name alone. The gang is, however, likely made up of non-native English speakers.
DragonForce’s most recent ANZ victims were Victorian landscaping firm Super Gardens and Elite Fitness in New Zealand, who both fell victim to the gang in July 2024.
The Heart Centre has three clinics in Sydney’s western suburbs – one each in Castle Hill, Merrylands, and Rouse Hill. The clinics employ 15 cardiologists and provide several services including electrocardiograms, stress tests, pacemaker checkups, and 24-hour blood pressure monitoring.
The Heart Centre is associated with several Sydney hospitals, including Westmead Hospital, St Vincents Hospital, and Blacktown Hospital.
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.
Be the first to hear the latest developments in the cyber industry.
