Call Now — 1300 01 1337
24/7 Emergency Response — Available Right Now

Hit by ransomware?
Call us. Right now.

Every minute counts. HackLabs provides immediate ransomware incident response across Australia — containment, negotiation, recovery.

We've responded to hundreds of cyber attacks. Our Australian team is available 24/7/365.

24/7
Always on call
<1hr
Initial response
20+
Years experience
AU
Based response team

If you're under attack right now — do this first

1
Isolate affected systems

Disconnect infected machines from the network — ethernet cable, Wi-Fi, everything. Stop the spread now. Do not turn them off.

2
Do not restart or wipe

Turning systems off destroys evidence. Wiping systems may be premature. Preserve the state — our forensic team needs this.

3
Don't negotiate alone

Do not reply to the attackers. Negotiation without expertise leads to higher payments and worse outcomes. Call us first.

4
Call HackLabs immediately

Our incident response team is standing by. 1300 01 1337 — available 24/7/365, including weekends and public holidays.

Our process

What happens when you call us

We follow a structured, battle-tested response methodology developed over hundreds of Australian incidents.

1
Immediate triage — within 1 hour

We identify the ransomware strain, assess the blast radius, and determine whether active attackers are still present. We scope your backups, understand your environment, and brief your leadership team.

2
Containment — stop the spread

Remote containment begins immediately. We deploy endpoint visibility tools, isolate affected segments, hunt for attacker persistence mechanisms, and secure your remaining clean systems.

3
Evidence & forensics

We preserve forensic evidence for insurance, legal proceedings, and regulatory reporting (OAIC, APRA, ACSC). Our forensic team reconstructs the attack chain — how they got in, what they accessed, and what was exfiltrated.

4
Negotiation (where required)

If negotiation is the best path, our experienced team handles it. We have deep intelligence on ransomware gangs, their actual payout rates, and their data destruction practices. We never recommend paying without exploring all alternatives first.

5
Recovery & restoration

We guide your team through a safe, verified system rebuild. We don't just decrypt — we ensure the attackers have been fully evicted before you bring systems back online. Returning to operations on an unclean environment is how companies get hit twice.

6
Post-incident report & hardening

A full forensic report for insurance, regulatory bodies, and board. Root cause analysis. A prioritised remediation roadmap so it doesn't happen again.

Why HackLabs for ransomware response?

We're not a generic IT firm that handles ransomware on the side. Offensive security is all we do.

🎯
We think like attackers

HackLabs conducts thousands of penetration tests per year. We know how ransomware gangs operate because we simulate their techniques every day.

🇦🇺
Australian-based, AU-law compliant

Our response team is based in Australia. We understand OAIC mandatory reporting, APRA CPS 234, ACSC reporting requirements, and Australian privacy law.

No bureaucracy — just action

You're not waiting in a queue. You get senior responders immediately. We move at your speed, not the pace of a corporate helpdesk.

🔍
Forensic-grade evidence

Insurance claims, regulatory reporting, and potential litigation require defensible forensic evidence. Our CREST-accredited team collects it properly from the start.

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Gang intelligence

We monitor ransomware gangs continuously — their leak sites, onion addresses, negotiation tactics, and actual decryptor success rates. This intelligence directly informs your response strategy.

🛡️
CREST Accredited

HackLabs is a CREST-accredited firm — the internationally recognised standard for cyber security and incident response. Your insurers, auditors, and regulators will recognise this.

The threat landscape

Ransomware in Australia: what you're up against

Our team monitors Australian ransomware victims in real time. Here's what we see.

$1.35M
Average ransom payment by Australian companies in 2024
69%
Of Australian businesses hit by ransomware in the past 5 years
500+
Ransomware reports to the ACSC last financial year (underreported)

Active ransomware groups targeting Australian organisations

LockBit Cl0p ALPHV/BlackCat RansomHub Akira Play Qilin Medusa INC Ransom Hunters International + 40 others we actively monitor

HackLabs monitors ransomware gang activity across dark web leak sites, intelligence feeds, and our incident response caseload. We know who's active, what they're demanding, and how they operate.

Australian reporting obligations after a ransomware attack

Getting hit is bad enough. Getting the reporting wrong compounds the damage. We help you navigate all of these.

OAIC — Notifiable Data Breaches

If personal information was accessed or exfiltrated, you must notify the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and affected individuals. Time limits apply. HackLabs prepares your NDB notification.

ACSC Reporting

Critical infrastructure operators and government entities must report cyber incidents to the Australian Signals Directorate. We facilitate this and liaise with ACSC on your behalf.

APRA CPS 234 — Financial Services

APRA-regulated entities (banks, insurers, superannuation funds) must notify APRA of material cyber incidents within 72 hours. We understand the requirements and meet the deadline.

Cyber Insurance Claims

Most policies require timely notification and professional response. Our forensic documentation and IR reports are structured to support insurance claims and avoid policy voidance.

Emergency intake

Submit an emergency incident report

If you can't call right now, complete this form. We'll contact you within 30 minutes.

If you're actively under attack, call us: 1300 01 1337

Or call us directly: 1300 01 1337

Common questions about ransomware response

Should I pay the ransom?
Not as a first step. Paying does not guarantee data recovery — in many cases, decryptors are slow, unreliable, or never provided at all. It also marks you as a target who pays. We always explore backup restoration and available decryptors first. If negotiation is ultimately necessary, we manage it with intelligence on the specific gang's track record.
Is paying ransomware legal in Australia?
Currently there is no blanket prohibition on ransom payments in Australia, but the landscape is changing. The Australian government has introduced mandatory ransomware payment reporting requirements. Additionally, paying sanctioned entities (certain nation-state-affiliated groups) can breach Australian sanctions law. We advise on the legal position specific to your incident before any payment decision is made.
How quickly can HackLabs respond?
Initial phone engagement happens immediately. Remote containment and triage begins within 1 hour of your call. For on-site response, our Australian team can be physically present within 24 hours in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Canberra, and within 48 hours in other capital cities.
Do I need to notify the OAIC or ACSC?
Possibly both. OAIC notification is required if personal information was compromised and there is a likely risk of serious harm to individuals. ACSC reporting is required for critical infrastructure entities. Some regulated sectors (banking, health, superannuation) have additional obligations. We assess your specific situation and prepare all required notifications.
Will my cyber insurance cover this?
Most cyber insurance policies cover ransomware response costs including IR firm fees, forensic costs, ransom payments (subject to conditions), and business interruption. However, you must notify your insurer promptly and use approved response firms. We work alongside insurers regularly and our forensic documentation meets their evidentiary requirements. Check your policy — delays in notification can void coverage.
How much does ransomware incident response cost?
Costs depend on scope, severity, and how quickly the incident is contained. HackLabs charges on a time-and-materials basis with full transparency — no surprise bills or inflated retainers. Containment engagements for smaller incidents may be completed in 3–5 days. Complex enterprise incidents can run for weeks. Most costs are recoverable through cyber insurance. Call us for an immediate, no-obligation scope assessment.
Can HackLabs help us prevent the next attack?
Yes. Every incident concludes with a root cause analysis and prioritised hardening roadmap. We also offer ongoing penetration testing, Essential Eight assessments, and managed security services to reduce your attack surface. Many clients move to a retained security arrangement with HackLabs after an incident — we've already learned your environment, so this is an efficient transition.

Don't wait. Call now.

Every hour an active incident goes uncontrolled, the damage grows. Our team is standing by.

1300 01 1337
Available 24/7/365 · Australian-based team · CREST Accredited