NSW Rural Fire Service – Nova Ransomware Hits an Emergency Service

The NSW Rural Fire Service — the world's largest volunteer fire service — has confirmed a cyber security incident, reported as Australia's first confirmed ransomware attack on a government agency in 2026. The entry point? A single compromised account and the remote-access system behind it. The ransomware crew "Nova" claims to have stolen 300 gigabytes of data — a figure the RFS has not confirmed. We dig into the compromised-account-plus-remote-access playbook, and the very real gap between what an attacker claims and what a victim can verify.Is your remote access as locked down as you think? Visit www.kinsoft.com.au to talk through your security and IT needs.Sources: Cyber Daily; Comparitech; ACS Information Age.