Formal notification about a cyber incident  

15th December 2025

What has happened?

• Paterson & Dowding recently became aware of a cyber incident where an unauthorised third party gained accessed to our IT systems and took a subset of data, including personal information. We are also aware that some information has been published externally on the dark web.
• As soon as we noticed unusual activity on our network, we took immediate action to contain the incident, engage external experts, and commence an investigation.
• We have informed current and former employees, clients and other stakeholders whose information may have been impacted and provided them with recommended steps to reduce the risk of harm and help protect against the potential misuse of their personal information.
• We have also taken steps to protect our stakeholders’ personal information. This includes having sought and been granted a court-ordered injunction which seeks to prevent any use, viewing, transmission, disclosure, or publication of the impacted data by the unauthorised third parties who accessed our system or any other third parties on notice of the orders.
• We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience or concern that this incident may have caused.

Who is this notice for?

This notice contains information for people potentially affected by this incident, including outlining what data has been affected and actions affected individuals can take to help protect themselves from the risk of potential harm.

The information that has been impacted includes personal information relating to:

• Our current and former clients;
• The relevant opposing parties of current and former clients;
• Third-parties whose information may have been provided as part of legal matters involving our clients; and
• Our current and former staff members.

If you are concerned that your personal information may have been affected, please contact us at incident@patersondowding.com.au  Our dedicated team will be able to provide you with further information about whether your personal information has been affected based on our understanding of the information we hold about you and the results of our investigation.

Steps to take

• Based on the types of personal information that could have been affected by this incident, we recommend that you consider taking the steps below, which are in line with best practice to minimise the risk of harm associated with the potential access to your personal information:
• Look out for suspicious activity – including suspicious emails, texts, phone calls or messages on social media that could be from scammers, as well as reports of suspicious activity from organisations you know (e.g., banks, telco providers, superannuation providers, etc). Additionally, never click on any links that look suspicious, never provide your passwords, or any personal information.
• Consider changing your online passwords. Use strong passwords and enable multi-factor authentication for your online accounts where possible, especially your online banking accounts.
• If you are concerned about your superannuation or banking accounts, we recommend contacting the relevant organisation(s) and informing them of the incident so that they can consider placing additional security controls on your accounts.
• If you are concerned about your Tax File Number (TFN), you can contact the ATO Client Identity Support Centre on 1800 467 033 (operating hours: Monday to Friday 8:00 am–6:00 pm) to discuss applying additional security measures and to monitor for any potential misuse of your TFN.
• To monitor your financial records, you can apply for an annual free credit report or credit report ban from each of the consumer credit reporting agencies below:
• • Equifax: https://www.equifax.com.au/personal/products/credit-and-identity-products
  • Illion: https://www.creditcheck.illion.com.au/
  • Experian: http://www.experian.com.au/consumer-reports
• Passport information – if you hold an Australian passport, you can visit the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s (DFAT) website https://www.passports.gov.au/your-passport or you can contact the DFAT on 131 232 Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm to discuss applying additional security measures.
• Health information – when your health information is involved in a cyber event, we understand that there is a low risk of this information being misused as we have been advised that cyber-criminals typically seek to misuse information that can be easily manipulated for financial gain (such as active credit cards and identity documents for identity theft).
• If you are experiencing any distress, we suggest that you contact your doctor, a support service or your family or friends.
• If you are looking for further information about online safety, the following websites provide additional details on cyber security and helpful tips to protect yourself:
  • Ways to protect your privacy | OAIC
  • ACCC's Scam watch website
  • Protect yourself | Cyber.gov.au

Authorities notified

We have notified the Office of the Information Commissioner and the Australian Cyber Security Centre, and we are committed to adhering to our regulatory obligations.

Next steps

We’re committed to supporting those affected by this incident. Please contact incident@patersondowding.com.au if you have any questions, and our team will get back to you as soon as possible. We thank you for your patience and understanding.