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The U.S. government approve a Russian national for allegedly playing a “ pivotal role ” in theransomware attackagainst Australian health insurance goliath Medibank that exposed the sensitive information of almost 10 million patients .
Thirty - three - class - old Alexander Ermakov , who has also been sanctioned in Australia and the United Kingdom , fend accused ofinfiltrating Medibank ’s net in October 2022to slip personally identifiable selective information ( PII ) and sensitive wellness data unite to approximately 9.7 million client .
This data , which was issue on the dreary World Wide Web after Medibank refused to devote the hackers ’ $ 10 million ransom money demand , included customers ’ public figure , nativity dates , passport numbers , entropy on medical claims , and sensitive files link to abortions and alcoholic beverage - related illnesses . The rupture is think to have bear on several gamey - profile Medibank customers , includingsenior Australian government lawmakers .
Ermakov was firstnamedon Tuesday by the Australian administration , which has “ work inexhaustibly over the preceding 18 months to unmask those creditworthy for the cyberattack on Medibank , ” Richard Marles , deputy quality minister and defense minister , said in a statement .
The U.S. Treasury Department O.K. Ermakovshortly after the Australian governing imposed first - of - its - kind sanctions against the Russian national . These sanctions , the first to be release under Australia ’s novel cyber sanctions framework , make it a criminal offense , punishable by up to 10 year incarceration and heavy amercement , to offer plus to Aleksandr Ermakov or to use or deal with his assets , include through cryptocurrency wallets or ransomware payments .
Ermakov and the other drudge behind the Medibank breach are believed to be connect to the Russia - plump for cybercrime gang REvil , which was previously linked to the 2021 hacker of Florida - base manage service provider Kaseya that encrypted thousands of its customers ’ networks .
According to the U.S. Treasury , REvil ransomware has been deployed on approximately 175,000 computers worldwide , pull together at least $ 200 million in ransom payments .
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In January 2022 , Russia ’s Federal Security Service ( FSB ) intelligence agencysaidit had delay multiple people associated with REvil at the request of the U.S. assurance . The FSB ’s surprise performance occur just months after the U.S. Department of Justice lodge a 22 - year - old Ukrainian citizen linked to the REvil ransomware gang due to his alleged purpose in the Kaseya flack .
Do political science sanctions against ransomware group work ?
