New Zealand lighting retailer Lighting Direct has been named as a victim by ransomware group The Gentlemen, with the company appearing on the group’s dark web leak site.
The listing, first recorded on 2 November 2026, identifies Lighting Direct’s website, lightingdirect.co.nz, as the alleged victim. The group has not publicly specified the volume or type of data it claims to have obtained.
Lighting Direct is a New Zealand-owned lighting specialist founded in Auckland in 1974. The business operates retail stores nationwide alongside its online operation.
At this stage, there has been no independently verified confirmation of the alleged compromise or details regarding the information potentially accessed. A listing on a ransomware group’s leak site should be treated as an unverified threat actor claim rather than confirmation of a successful breach.
About The Gentlemen
The Gentlemen is a financially motivated ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) operation that emerged in 2025. The group operates a double-extortion model, combining file encryption with the theft of data that can subsequently be used as leverage against victims.
The group has been particularly active throughout 2026, targeting organisations across multiple industries and countries.
The Lighting Direct listing adds another New Zealand organisation to the growing number of local businesses appearing on ransomware leak sites.
