patersoncooke.com listed by the blackbasta ransomware group

Overview

On 28 March 2024, the BlackBasta ransomware group listed Paterson and Cooke on its leak site. Paterson and Cooke is a South African engineering consultancy founded in 1991, specialising in slurry pipeline systems and mine backfill consulting for the mining industry. The company's work spans the country's deepest gold mines and international mining projects.

What was published

The BlackBasta listing named Paterson and Cooke as a victim but did not specify the volume of data exfiltrated. BlackBasta has released stolen files for other victims, yet no archive linked to this consultancy was observed during the analysis window.

Risks for affected individuals

Employees and mining clients could be exposed if project files, engineering documentation or personnel records were stolen. Technical documents related to mining operations could also support targeted attacks on client companies or be used for industrial intelligence.

What remains unknown

The categories and volume of stolen data, and whether BlackBasta published files, are not confirmed. Paterson and Cooke has not issued a public statement about the incident.

What affected people should do

Clients of the consultancy should review shared project documentation access and watch for suspicious communications referencing engineering work. Employees should change passwords, enable multi-factor authentication, and report any unusual activity on company systems.