Sydney-based Compass Group reports ransomware attack
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Compass Group Australia, headquartered in McMahons Point, is reporting it has fallen victim to a ransomware attack orchestrated by the Medusa ransomware gang.
Compass Group Australia, a subsidiary of the UK-based Compass Group, is the country's largest food and support services provider.
The intrusion was discovered by Compass Group on September 4, 2024, leading to the activation of the company’s incident response plan. Forensic experts were engaged, and affected systems were disabled to contain the threat.
The attackers claim to have stolen 785.5 gigabytes of data and are threatening to release it within eight days unless a ransom of US$2 million is paid. The same amount is demanded for anyone wishing to purchase the stolen data. The ransom deadline can also be extended by one day for an additional payment of US$100,000.
Medusa has already published several documents allegedly stolen during the attack, including:
- Wage declarations of Compass Group employees
- Scans of international passports
- Driver’s licenses (possibly belonging to contractors)
- Various other internal documents
The number of affected individuals is not disclosed.
Compass Group has since notified employees, clients, and suppliers about the breach and is working closely with the Australian Cyber Security Centre and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. Compass Group has provided guidance to employees concerned about the security of their personal information.
