The Star Entertainment Group Reveals Cyber-Attack Involvement; HWL Ebsworth Lawyers Data Breach Exposed

The Star Entertainment Group (ASX: SGR) has disclosed its connection to a cyber-attack on HWL Ebsworth Lawyers almost a year ago, unveiling a challenging period for Australia’s largest legal partnership dealing with the sudden passing of managing partner Juan Martinez this week.

About a year following the April 2023 data breach, the casino operator has come forward with revelations that customers and employees were among those affected by the Russia-linked hacking group BlackCat.

In a public notice released by The Star, it asserts that while its own systems remained unaffected by the April 2023 cyber-attack, patrons and staff are advised to remain vigilant for any suspicious activity through email and phone communications.

The caution from The Star comes after a probe initiated last month by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) regarding data held prior to the breach.

The attack reportedly resulted in the theft of 4 terabytes of data from internal files at the law firm, with the hackers demanding a ransom of US$4.6 million ($7 million) in bitcoin from HWL Ebsworth to prevent data disclosure.

Investigations conducted by HWL Ebsworth with McGrathNicol revealed that the threat actor, also known as ALPHV, accessed specific information on a confined part of the firm’s system and published some data on the dark web over a three-week period in June 2023.

The Star mentions that personal information related to some patrons and employees of The Star was compromised in the data breach, alongside details for other clients of HWL Ebsworth.

Among the data reportedly secured during the attack are names, dates of birth, email addresses, physical addresses, phone numbers, employment information, identity credentials, physical signatures, driver license numbers and scans, passport scans, credit card details, Medicare card scans, Centrelink or Concession Card numbers, and more.

The Star acknowledges the delay in providing this notice since the incident was discovered, attributing it to the vast volume of data extracted which required an extensive manual review to assess the impact on personal information.

The casino operator has reached out to affected clients and staff directly but issued a public notice due to difficulty in determining accurate contact details for some individuals impacted by the breach.

In a somber turn of events, this announcement by The Star follows the tragic passing of Martinez on Monday night, reportedly due to a medical issue suspected to be a heart attack.

The managing partner of HWL Ebsworth, based in Melbourne, Martinez, aged 64, had helmed the firm since 1998, overseeing its substantial growth to over 1,600 staff, including 277 partners.

Business News Australia has sought to obtain a statement from HWL Ebsworth following Martinez’s unfortunate demise.