DragonForce Ransomware Group Leaks 79GB of Data from Australian Poultry Giant Hazeldenes
Learn More
Hazeldenes, one of Australia's largest poultry producers, confirmed a significant data breach following a ransomware attack that began on February 19, 2026.
The DragonForce ransomware group claimed responsibility for the incident and published a 78.98 gigabyte dataset on its dark web leak site on March 11, 2026. The attack caused substantial operational disruption, leading to chicken shortages for regional butchers, hotels, and pubs across Victoria.
The compromised data includes:
- Personal information of employees and stakeholders
- Historical operational records
- Corporate documents and internal files
- Financial and business data
The number of affected individuals is not disclosed. Hazeldenes engaged external cybersecurity experts and notified the Australian National Office of Cyber Security and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).
The company obtained a worldwide interim injunction in Australia, which legally prohibits anyone from accessing, viewing, or publishing the stolen data. Which of course is utterly useless against the criminals because they don't care about the injunction.
Hazeldenes reports it has begun a phased approach to safely restore production and secure its IT environment.
