Three federal ministers, consisting of Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil, and Foreign Minister Penny Wong, confirmed that Russian individual Aleksandr Ermakov was the individual behind the Medibank data breach that impacted nearly 10 million customers.
Medibank Data Breach – What happened?
The 2022 Medibank data breach was one of, if not the largest cyberattack ever seen in Australian history, coming mere weeks after the Optus data breach, solidifying the emergence and dangers of cyber threats. As one of Australia’s biggest health insurance providers, Medibank holds information that includes intimate medical records, adding further distress to customers impacted.
Medibank Data Breach – Government Response
The announcement made 23rd January 2024, is incredibly important in regard to the future of cybersecurity in Australia. Not only did they identify the culprit of the Medibank data breach, Aleksandr, by name, but they also announced it would be enforcing, for the very first time, the ability to sanction an individual under Australia’s new cyber laws.
In a separate statement, Foreign Minister Penny Wong went into further detail “The Australian government has imposed a targeted financial sanction and a travel ban on Aleksandr Ermakov,” Foreign Minister Wong said. “This sanction makes it a criminal offence, punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment and heavy fines, to provide assets to Aleksandr Ermakov, or to use or deal with his assets, including through cryptocurrency wallets or ransomware payments.”
According to the Australian Government, there are a number of Russian cyber gangs at the heart of the threats Australians face. The sanctions imposed are part of Australia’s attempts to hamper these organisations. This is due to the fact that many of these groups are working in clusters, according to Australian Cyber Security Head Abigail Bradshaw, so naming and identifying the cybercriminals will hurt their attempts to attack.
These sanctions are a part of the Albanese Government’s commitment in the 2023-2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy to deter and respond to malicious cyber activity.
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