In October 2018, Austal, an Australian shipbuilder, fell victim to a ransomware and hacking attack orchestrated by Middle Eastern hackers. The attackers gained access using weak login credentials (e.g., ‘Password123’ or ‘Austal123’) purchased from a dark web forum. Once inside, they exfiltrated data, including staff email addresses, mobile phone numbers, and ship drawings (non-sensitive customer/sub-contractor designs). The hackers attempted extortion by threatening to sell the stolen data online and demanding a ransom. While Austal confirmed no commercially sensitive or national security-related information was compromised, the breach forced the company to shut down all external ports to contain the attack. The incident did not disrupt ongoing operations, but it exposed vulnerabilities in credential security and highlighted risks of dark web-sourced cyber threats. The Australian government responded by reinforcing deterrence against malicious cyber activity.