Medibank hacking saga

If you remember, In late 2022, the personal information of 9.7 million Australians was compromised when Medibank, the country's largest health insurer, fell victim to a cyber attack. The stolen data, which included sensitive documents like abortion records, was subsequently posted online.

In response, Australia reportedly hacked the guy back .. Yes. To put it nicely “ASD and the Australian Federal Police under Operation Aquila, together with other Commonwealth agencies and international partners, have worked tirelessly to link Aleksandr Ermakov to the compromise of Medibank Private and pursue other leads.”

To address the cyber threat, financial sanctions have been imposed, making Ermakov liable for a criminal offense punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment and substantial fines. Furthermore, he is prohibited from traveling to or remaining in Australia. The United States and Britain have joined in by imposing cyber sanctions on the Russian individual.
Recent reports suggest that Ermakov is detained in Russia, possibly for unrelated but similar hacking activities.

Australia has experienced a surge in cybercrime in recent years, prompting the government to revamp its cybersecurity regulations and establish an agency to coordinate responses. While some experts view these measures as a “positive step”, we believe that such actions could provoke strong reactions from the hacker community.

We fear Australia, as an entire country, might become an enticing Honey Pot project for cyber attacks in the APAC region.

What are your thoughts on this situation?