Image: Asha Barbaschow/ZDNet
Australia has launched a cyber offence against offshore criminals, targeting those responsible for scams related to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds said in a statement that the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) had mobilised its offensive cyber capabilities to disrupt the foreign cyber criminals behind the spate of malicious activities that have come out of the global pandemic.
"Cyber criminals that are using the cover of cyberspace and international borders to target Australians are not beyond our reach," Reynolds said.
"We are hitting back through the Australian Signals Directorate, who have already successfully disrupted activities from foreign criminals by disabling their infrastructure and blocking their access to stolen information."
The ASD has engaged telecommunications firms to block and take down websites identified as malicious.
The ASD's Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) is also working with Google and Microsoft to have the websites flagged as malicious, as a way of ensuring users are warned about such sites before they visit them.
With the ACSC already issuing multiple threat alerts and offering advice for businesses and individuals, ASD director-general Rachel Noble said cyber criminals are expected to continue to target Australians through COVID-19 themed malicious activities.
"Our offensive cyber campaign has only just begun and we will continue to strike back at these cyber criminals operating offshore as they attempt to steal money and data from Australians," Noble said.
"Close cooperation with telecommunications and IT companies is vital in providing increased protective barriers for Australians from these heartless cyber criminals."
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