Russian Medibank hackers could be first targets of Australian sanctions against cyber-attackers

The Australian government has revealed it is considering using new sanctions powers against cyber-attackers for the first time, sparking calls for the Medibank hackers to be the initial targets.

In an unusually frank disclosure, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it had now provided advice to the minister, Penny Wong, about using these cyber-related powers.

But the government would not speculate about specific listings in advance, the spokesperson added.

Paterson said the most likely starting point for such sanctions would be cyber incidents that have already been publicly attributed by the Australian government, including the Russian criminals responsible for the Medibank hack.

Other cyber incidents to have been attributed by the Australian government include the targeting of Queensland government-owned electricity generator CS Energy by the Russian-aligned Conti ransomware group in November 2021.