Cyber attack on Fire Rescue Victoria claimed by Vice Society ransomware gang

On Thursday 15^th of December 2022, an Australian fire and rescue service operating in the state of Victoria, Fire Rescue Victoria experienced a cyber attack that caused several internal servers to be affected. However, the agency’s emergency response services were not impacted as they were able to operate through mobile phones, pagers, and radio. The agency has also confirmed that the threat actors have stolen data from their computers, including information about current and former employees, contractors, secondees, and job applicants.

The agency notified the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner about the incident on January 6, 2023, disclosing the preliminary results of its ongoing internal investigation. Shortly after the notification, the Vice Society ransomware gang claimed responsibility for the cyber attack on January 10^th when they listed an entry for Fire Rescue Victoria on their Tor data leak site.