Ransomware group 'thegentlemen' claims attack on Sharp Office
A criminal gang has listed Australian office-supplies company Sharp Office on its dark-web site, claiming to have hit the 90-year-old supplier. The company has not confirmed anything, and the claim is unverified.
Key points
- A ransomware group calling itself "thegentlemen" claims to have attacked Sharp Office, an Australian business-to-business office supplier based in Ingleburn, NSW.
- The listing appeared on the group's dark-web leak site on 7 September 2026, according to monitoring service Ransomware.live.
- Sharp Office has not publicly confirmed any incident, and the claim could not be independently verified at publication time.
- Ransomware is malicious software criminals use to lock a company's files and demand payment; leak sites are where groups name victims to pressure them into paying.
- Listings are sometimes exaggerated or outright false, and are written by the attackers themselves to apply pressure.
What is being claimed?
A group calling itself "thegentlemen" has listed Sharp Office on its dark-web leak site, a page where ransomware criminals name companies they claim to have attacked in order to pressure those companies into paying. The listing was first observed on 7 September 2026 by Ransomware.live, a service that monitors these sites.
The group's post describes Sharp Office in flattering terms, noting its heritage dating to 1935 and its range of office products and IT services sold to government and business clients across Australia. That description is written entirely by the attackers and should be treated with scepticism: criminals routinely flatter targets to make a claimed breach look more valuable.
No stolen files or specific data categories are named in the listing. Sharp Office has made no public statement, and no independent source has confirmed that any breach took place.
Should Sharp Office customers or staff be worried?
Not yet, and not in a panic. The claim is unconfirmed. But it is sensible to take a few quiet precautions now rather than wait.
If you are a customer or employee of Sharp Office, watch for phishing emails, meaning fake messages that use the news of this claimed attack as a lure to trick you into clicking a link or handing over a password. Criminals sometimes send these immediately after a listing goes public, knowing people will be curious and off-guard.
Do not reuse the same password across multiple accounts. If you use the same password for a Sharp Office portal that you use elsewhere, change the others now. A password manager makes this straightforward.
Be cautious of phone calls or emails offering "breach compensation" or asking you to verify your identity because of the incident. These are scams. No legitimate company will cold-call you to offer a payout.
Watch Sharp Office's own website and any direct emails from the company for an official statement. That is the only source worth trusting on whether a real incident occurred.
Common questions
What is a ransomware leak site?
A ransomware leak site is a page on the dark web, a part of the internet not reachable by normal browsers, where criminal groups publicly name companies they claim to have attacked. Naming a victim is a pressure tactic: pay up, or we publish what we took.
Does being listed mean the company was definitely hacked?
No. Listings are written by the criminals themselves and are sometimes false or exaggerated. Only a statement from the company, a regulator, or an independent investigation can confirm whether a breach actually happened.
