Australia sanctions Russian man over Medibank cyber attack

The news: The government has imposed sanctions on a Russian man over his involvement in the Medibank data breach that compromised the personal details of millions of Australians.

The numbers: The cyber attack in October 2022 compromised the details of at least 9.7 million Australians, including names, dates of birth, addresses and phone numbers, some of which were published on the dark web. A joint operation over 18 months by the Australian Signals Directorate, the Australian Federal Police along with other agencies helped link a Russian citizen and cybercriminal to the attack.

The context: The government on Tuesday used its cyber sanction power for the first time to impose a targeted financial sanction and travel ban on Russia’s Aleksandr Ermakov. This makes it a criminal offence, punishable by up to 10 years' imprisonment and heavy fines, to provide assets to Ermakov, or to use or deal with his assets, including through cryptocurrency wallets or ransomware payments. “The use of these powers sends a clear message – there are costs and consequences for targeting Australia and Australians,” Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said.