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The Conversation
The Conversation
Science
Jeffrey Foster, Associate Professor in Cyber Security Studies, Macquarie University

Australia is considering a ban on cyber ransom payments, but it could backfire. Here's another idea

Medibank Australia Optus Cybersecurity REvil
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First Optus, now Medibank; in less than two months we’ve experienced two of the largest personal data breaches in Australia’s history. In both cases the hackers attempted, and failed, to extort a ransom in exchange for not releasing personal data.

So far the Optus hackers have released only a small sample of data, and claim to have deleted the rest. On the other hand, the Medibank hackers have released the records of more than one million people – and have threatened to release more data on Friday.

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