The Role of Initial Access Markets in Ransomware Campaigns Targeting Australia and New Zealand

The 2025 Australia and New Zealand Threat Landscape Report describes a marked escalation in commercially driven cybercrime: a thriving initial-access market where compromised network access is routinely bought and sold, enabling multiple breaches and follow-on ransomware activity across retail, BFSI, professional services, and healthcare. The report documents specific incidents — including a suspected Scattered Spider breach of an airline affecting ~6 million customers, unauthorized access listings for large retail and telecom providers, and compromises of an accounting firm — highlighting widespread active exploitation and significant risk to data-rich sectors.