INC Ransom Threat Targets Australia And Pacific Networks

**Joint advisory on INC Ransom RaaS activity targeting the Pacific region:** Australian, New Zealand, and Tongan cybersecurity agencies warn that the INC Ransom affiliate ecosystem (aka Tarnished Scorpion / GOLD IONIC) is conducting ransomware campaigns against high-value targets—notably health and professional services—using spear-phishing, exploitation of internet-facing systems, credential purchase, and legitimate tools for exfiltration; incidents include widespread encryption and data publication (double extortion) with a major disruption to Tonga’s Ministry of Health and multiple confirmed incidents in Australia and New Zealand, accompanied by practical mitigation guidance (MFA, backups, patching, privileged access controls, and incident response).