Australian task force told to “hack the hackers”

Following the revelations of the Medibank ransomware data breach, Australia’s cyber security minister is considering a law to make it illegal to pay ransoms. Clare O’Neil praised Medibank’s decision not to pay the ransom, warning that we cannot expect hackers to delete the data. She announced a new Australian task force, including a cyber spy agency, which will use expert hackers to disrupt criminal attacks. She said: “What they will do is scour the world, hunt down the criminal syndicates and gangs that target Australia in cyberattacks, and disrupt their efforts.”