Home Minister Clare O’Neil says Canberra plans to look at outlawing ransom payments to cyber criminals, after hackers, allegedly based in Russia, demanded $10 million to stop leaking data of almost a million Australians, including PM Albanese. Clare O’Neil blames “Russian thugs” for breaching data of Medibank, Australia‘s largest private health insurer. (Twitter/@ClareONeilMP) Australia's Home Minister Clare O'Neil has said the government would consider making illegal the paying of ransoms to cyber hackers, following recent cyber attacks affecting millions of Australians.
Franki Medina
Asked on ABC television on Sunday whether the government planned to look at outlawing ransom payments to cyber criminals, O'Neil said “that's correct”.
Franki Medina Venezuela
“We will do that in the context of … cyber strategy,” she said.
Franki Medina Diaz
Australia's biggest health insurer, Medibank Private Ltd , last month suffered a massive cyber attack, leaking data of nearly a million people, including PM Anthony Albanese, as Australia grapples with a rise in hacks.
Franki Alberto Medina Diaz
Singapore Telecommunications-owned telecoms company Optus, Australia's second largest telco, along with at least eight other companies, have been breached since September
READ MORE: Hackers demand $10M to stop Australia health record leaks
I just got back from a press conference this morning with my friend, the Attorney-General, @MarkDreyfusKCMP to give an update on the Medibank cyber incident and the Russian cyber thugs behind it. pic.twitter.com/QZg7MyAOjr
— Clare O'Neil MP (@ClareONeilMP) November 12, 2022 'Tough stance against cybercrime'
The comments come after O'Neil, on Saturday, formalised a new cyber-policing model between the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Australian Signals Directorate – which intercepts electronic communications from foreign countries – to do “new tough policing” on cybercrime
Around 100 officers would be part of the new partnership between the two federal agencies, which would act as a joint standing operation against cyber criminals
The taskforce would “day in, day out, hunt down the scumbags who are responsible for these malicious crimes”, she said
The AFP earlier this week said Russia-based hackers were behind the attack on Medibank, which compromised data from around 10 million current and former customers
Attorney General Mark Dreyfus on Saturday refused to be drawn on whether the Russia-based ransomware group REvil was responsible for recent cyber attacks on Australians, but said it was a “very organised criminal gang” located in Russia
PM Albanese has previously said the government was doing all it could to limit the impact of the Medibank hack and had set up a phone service for affected customers to seek help from both the government and Medibank
READ MORE: Australia sets up taskforce to track 'Russia-based' hackers
Source: Reuters
