Medibank hacker found: Anthony Albanese says AFP will reveal more
‘Loosely affiliated cyber criminals’ from Russia with a history of similar acts across the world are behind the Medibank data hack.
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Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw has issued a veiled threat to the criminals behind the Medibank cyber attack, warning “we know who you are” and promising the response to the hack would “match the malicious and far-reaching consequences” caused by their crimes.
Mr Kershaw revealed on Friday that those behind the attack had been identified as a group of loosely affiliated cyber criminals operating from Russia with a history of conducting “significant breaches in countries across the world”.
“These cyber criminals are operating like a business with affiliates and associates who are supporting the business,” he said.
“We also believe that some affiliate may be in other countries. Everyone involved in this attack is the focus of the ongoing investigation through the AFP-led Pallidus.”
As part of Operation Pallidus, the AFP is working with other federal agencies, Interpol and Five Eyes law enforcement partners, including the FBI. Mr Kershaw confirmed the AFP knew the names of those responsible, but would keep that secret for now.
“We’ll be holding talks with Russian law enforcement about these individuals,” he said.
“It is important to note that Russia benefits from the intelligence-sharing and data shared through Interpol and with that comes responsibility and accountability.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has made clear in the past he would “never” extradite Russian nationals charged with cyber offences in the West, such as the interference with the US election, of which 13 nationals are accused.
Mr Kershaw said despite the criminals operating from Russia, he was confident the AFP would bring them to justice.
“The AFP has some significant runs on the scoreboard when it comes to bringing overseas offenders back to Australia to face the justice system,” he said.
Founder of the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre, Ciaran Martin, said there was a “serious safe haven problem” faced by countries such as Australia and Britain in regards to Russia and a number of other countries allowing cyber gangs that targeted Western nations to operate freely within them.
“We have to face up to the reality that they (gangs) are pretty effective, well organised … and able to operate with impunity,” he said this week.
“This threat is here and it’s harder to do something about it … when threat actors are based in unfriendly countries with whom we don’t have law enforcement arrangements.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese earlier on Friday said he was “disgusted by the perpetrators of this criminal act” and that those responsible should be held accountable.
Hundreds of customers have been exposed during the latest release of data onto the dark web, aimed at inflicting maximum harm on Australia’s biggest health insurer after it refused to pay a $15m ransom.
The Russian hackers on Friday escalated their attack on Medibank, releasing the health records of 240 customers who had undergone treatment for alcohol abuse.
It was the third mass release of data since Medibank chief executive David Koczkar declared the company would not cave into the demands of the cyber criminals, who breached the insurer’s customer database after they bought a high-level Medibank login from an online Russian criminal forum.
Other data released include customers who have received treatment for drug dependence and terminations for unviable pregnancies.
The purported hackers have continued urging ransoms be paid. “We warned you, we always keep our word, if we wouldn’t receive a ransom – we should post this data, because nobody will believe us in the future,” the hackers posted on Friday.
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Originally published as Medibank hacker found: Anthony Albanese says AFP will reveal more
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