CANBERRA, Australia: Australia has pinned a crippling 2022 cyber attack on a Russian citizen, announcing Tuesday a series of “unprecedented” restrictions targeting a hacker named as Aleksandr Ermakov.
Medibank, the major Australian healthcare company, was targeted by hackers in a high-profile cyber attack in November 2022.
The hackers succeeded in gaining the medical data of some 9.7 million customers including Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in one of the country’s worst ever data breaches.
Australia Tuesday said Russian citizen Ermakov had been ultimately responsible for the cyber attack, which had previously been linked to the notorious REvil hacking organisation.
“This is the first time an Australian government has identified a cyber-criminal and imposed cyber-sanctions of this kind and it won’t be the last,” Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil told the media.
“These people are cowards and they’re scum bags. They hide behind technology and today the Australian government is saying that when we put our minds to it, we’ll unveil who you are, and we’ll make sure you are accountable.”
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