https://www.cyberscoop.com/australia-coronavirus-hacking-criminals/
By Sean Lyngaas
CYBERSCOOP
April 7, 2020
As governments around the world consider their options for cracking down on
scammers exploiting the coronavirus pandemic, Australia is touting a muscular
approach in cyberspace.
The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) “has mobilized its offensive cyber
capabilities to disrupt foreign cyber criminals responsible for a spate of
malicious activities during COVID-19,” the Australian defense ministry said in
a statement Tuesday.
The ASD, the country’s lead agency for hacking operations, has “already
successfully disrupted activities from foreign criminals by disabling their
infrastructure and blocking their access to stolen information,” Australian
Minister of Defense Linda Reynolds said. “Some of these cybercriminals have
even posed as health officials in an attempt to exploit vulnerable Australians,
by infecting their computers with malware and stealing their private
information.”
COVID-19-related scams and phishing attempts targeting people around the world
have surged in recent weeks as criminals and spies prey on people’s health
fears. In Australia, a consumer protection agency warned people that crooks
were cold-calling people to try to steal their personal information.
The Australian statement is perhaps the furthest a government has gone publicly
in pledging to combat criminals through cyber-operations during the health
crisis. For its part, the U.S. Department of Justice has vowed to prioritize
prosecuting cybercriminals who are exploiting the crisis.
[...]
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