FORMER staff appear to be victims of last month’s ACT Legal Aid hacking.

The service was hacked on November 3, with cybercriminals stealing a “large” amount of data and demanding a ransom, which was refused.

After discovering the hack, Legal Aid ACT staff contacted affected clients and identified a number of individuals or families who needed assistance.

In a recent update on the service’s website, Legal Aid ACT chief executive Dr John Boersig said former Legal Aid ACT staff may also be impacted by the cyber crime.

“I would encourage any former Legal Aid ACT staff to consider that they might be impacted by this crime as well,” he said.

“The cybercriminals stole a large range of information from our systems that included staff emails and other records.

“We cannot advise if your particular information was included in this crime, but the safest option is to assume it may have been stolen.”

Australian Federal Police officers from the force’s ACT Policing division are, with help from specialised cybercrime investigators, still investigating the cyber attack.

It’s understood that some of the information stolen was personal information about private client matters relating to the services provided by Legal Aid ACT.

Boersig said the cyber attack had been “distressing” for those involved.

“Our staff are the ones who have been tirelessly working nights and weekends to identify the impacts from this crime and to keep our services going,” he said.

“I am proud of their commitment to looking after their clients and making sure they get the support they need.

“This crime has been distressing for our team and I applaud them for the care they have provided to so many Canberrans since this event happened earlier this month.”

Legal Aid ACT clients who need help as a result of the breach can contact the helpline on 1300 654314.

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