The Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Australia, Michael Pensullo, has called on the Russian government to take action against cybercriminals and “pacify” them in order to protect Australia’s national security. The statement, reported by Reuters, asserts that cyber attacks pose a significant threat to the country’s well-being and a swift response is necessary.
Pezzullo’s request is targeted towards Russian hackers as the country has the largest number of cybercriminals, particularly those using the robbers. He stresses that cybercriminals are not bound by laws, and ordinary law enforcement processes cannot be applied to them, making it essential for governments such as Russia’s to step in. Not only do individuals pose a threat, but Pezzullo points out that states themselves can carry out cyber attacks.
Unfortunately, Australia has been a repeated target of cyber attacks with several Australian organizations such as Medibank Private LTD and OPTUS telecommunications company experiencing data breaches. As a response, in November 2022, the Federal Police of Australia and the Australian Communications Department established an offensive operation aimed at tracking hacker groups who target the country and thwarting their campaigns.