Australia to strengthen cyber offensive

The Register reports that recent significant cyberattacks against health insurer Medibank and telecommunications firm Optus have prompted Australia to bolster its cybercrime offensive, with the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Signals Directorate, the Australian counterpart of the National Security Agency, launching an operation that would target and disrupt cybercrime operations, particularly ransomware groups, targeting the country. "This is not a model of policing, where we wait for a crime to be committed and then try to understand who it is and do something to the people who are responsible. We are offensively going to find these people, hunt them down and debilitate them before they can attack our country," said Australia's Minister for Home Affairs and Cybersecurity Clare O'Neil in an interview. O'Neil also stressed the importance of collaboration with the FBI and other intelligence and police forces worldwide, as well as the partnership between the government, private sector, and citizens, in curbing cybersecurity threats. "What we need to do, and what I need to do in my job, is drive a whole of nation effort where we see all of these groups in the community lift up their defenses together," O'Neil added.