Paterson & Dowding Family Lawyers, a Western Australia-based legal practice, has confirmed a cyber incident after the Anubis ransomware group claimed responsibility for accessing and leaking sensitive information.
The law firm, which specialises in family law, reported that it became aware of unusual activity on its systems and responded by engaging external experts to investigate and contain the situation.
A representative from Paterson & Dowding informed Cyber Daily that the firm had detected a cyber incident affecting its operations.
“As soon as we became aware of unusual activity on our system, we took immediate action to engage external experts, contain the incident, and commence an urgent investigation,” the spokesperson said.
The firm said that a subset of personal information was accessed and taken by an unauthorised third party, and that some of this data has been published externally.
The spokesperson also stated that the firm is in the process of informing all clients and employees about the situation, providing them with recommended measures to safeguard their personal information.
“We will continue to support our clients and staff. We take the privacy of our clients and staff very seriously, and we sincerely apologise for any concern or inconvenience this incident has caused,” the spokesperson said.
The firm has reported the incident to the Office of the Information Commissioner and the Australian Cyber Security Centre. An internal review is underway to determine the full extent of the data exposure.
The Anubis ransomware group, which surfaced in early 2025, has claimed responsibility for the breach.
The group published samples of what it asserts are client financial records, business documents, and personal correspondence on its dark web site.
According to Anubis, the data includes superannuation statements, tax records, business communications, and private messages between clients and family members.
According to Cyber Daily’s exclusive report, Anubis representatives have stated that the group intends to publish data from multiple law firms in succession, with Paterson & Dowding being the first Australian firm named.
The group is known for detailing the types of data it claims to have stolen in order to increase pressure on its targets.
In a related development, another exclusive report by Cyber Daily revealed that Aussie Fluid Power (AFP), a supplier in the hydraulics and processing sector, is investigating a security incident after the Anubis ransomware group claimed responsibility for accessing and leaking company data.
The report indicated that AFP is working to determine the extent of the breach and has engaged forensic IT experts to assist with the investigation.
The company has acknowledged that certain employee, customer, and supplier information may have been compromised as a result of the incident attributed to Anubis.
