One of Australia’s senior government officials requested on Wednesday that Russia take action against the numerous cybercriminals operating there because their activities constituted a threat to the security of the nation. The remarks come as Canberra overhauls its cybersecurity strategy in the wake of many cyberattacks on some of the top businesses in the nation.
The remarks come as Canberra overhauls its cybersecurity strategy in the wake of many cyberattacks on some of the top businesses in the nation. According to Michael Pezzullo, secretary of the Department of Home Affairs, Russia has the highest concentration of cyber criminals, particularly those who use ransomware.

The idea that you can apply traditional law enforcement practices there is utterly foolish since it is not a country where the rule of law exists.
We demand that the Russian government punish such hackers.
Requests for a response from the Russian embassy’s spokeswoman went unanswered right away. The Australian government said last month that it intended to update its cybersecurity regulations and establish an organization in Pezzullo’s department to manage government spending in the area and aid in managing hacker response efforts.
The action comes in response to an increase in cyberattacks that began around the end of last year, with breaches revealed by at least eight businesses, including Singapore Telecommunications Ltd.-owned telecom Optus and health insurer Medibank Private Ltd. According to Pezzullo, one of the biggest risks to the national security of Australia is an attack on key digital infrastructure.
“A cyber attack might potentially go undetected…it could be a criminal act, a proxy actor acting with or on behalf of a state, or it could be a state,” the speaker stated. Even for policy, let alone legislation, “the blurring and the uncertainty that it causes is a difficulty.”
Last month, the United States and the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on some Russians who were allegedly behind cyberattacks that paralyzed companies, schools, and hospitals.