Aussie suicide-prevention charity Lifeline has confirmed it was the victim of a data breach after details of the incident were posted to a popular underground hacking forum.
The hacker known as 2019 – who has been targeting Australian organisations since early 2026 – claimed to have more than 10,000 sets of records in an 11 July post.
You’re out of free articles for this month
According to 2019, the data includes staff names and emails, dates of birth, client IDs, phone numbers, and other internal data points. The data was shared by 2019 for free.
Lifeline has confirmed that it is investigating the incident.
“On Sunday, 12 July, Lifeline Australia became aware of a dark web post by an anonymous party claiming to have extracted data from Lifeline Australia systems,” a Lifeline spokesperson told Cyber Daily.
“We immediately engaged external cyber security experts, began investigating the claim, and took steps to identify and remediate any potential vulnerabilities in our systems.”
“The investigation into this incident is ongoing. However, an initial assessment has determined that some Lifeline staff and volunteer information was accessed by an unauthorised party. We have also determined that some of the data contained in the dark web post appears to have been doctored to include falsified information.”
Lifeline also confirmed, importantly, that no help seeker data was compromised in the incident, nor were any financial details accessed.
“Out of an abundance of caution, Lifeline Australia has begun contacting people who may have been impacted where possible, and we are raising awareness of potential scam activity with our staff and volunteer community,” Lifeline said.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and work with external agencies, including our cyber security providers and law enforcement.”
Who is 2019?
Since first joining the hacking forum in January 2026, the threat actor, known as 2019, has racked up an impressive victim count of largely Australian organisations, including the Melbourne International Film Festival, a Canberra medical clinic, and the Australian Centre for the Moving Image.
The hacker’s most recent victim was printer consumables supplier Hot Toner Australia, which was hacked around the same date as Lifeline.
Otherwise, very little is known about 2019.
Who is Lifeline Australia?
Lifeline operates a 24-hour crisis hotline for “Australians who are in crisis and are experiencing distress, so they don’t have to face their toughest moments alone”.
The not-for-profit offers crisis support, community and counselling services, training, and advocacy.
“Lifeline is comprised of a national office and a network of 17 separately incorporated member organisations who own and operate over 43 accredited Lifeline Centres across Australia,” Lifeline said on its website.
“One of our greatest strengths lies in the diversity of our distributed network located in every state and territory.”
Click Here For The Original Source.
