Australia Takes Punitive Deterrent Measure for Cyber ​​Attack

Australia is introducing deterrent punitive measures for data breaches in the wake of cyber-attacks, one of the biggest challenges of our time. Cyberattacks pose a major threat to personal and public security. This leads to serious losses, especially for companies.

Last September 22nd, Australia's telecommunications, finance and government sectors were hit by a cyber attack by Optus, owned by Singtel, the country's second largest telecom company. It was determined that personal data was stolen from approximately 10 million accounts. Since the announcement of the attack, Australia has been on high alert.

Australia's Attorney General Mark Dreyfus says the country needs to increase penalties for companies that suffer major data breaches, after high-profile cyberattacks have hit millions of Australians in recent weeks. He says he will introduce legislation to parliament specifically on this issue.

Also Read: New Trend in Technology Will Be Digital Detox, Artificial Intelligence and Security

Deterrent Penalties for Cyber Attacks and Privacy Breaches

The September attack was followed by a data breach at health insurance company Medibank Private, which this month covered one-sixth of Australians. The theft of 100 customers' personal information, including medical diagnoses and procedures, as part of the 200 gigabytes of data theft seems to have alarmed the government.

In an official statement, Dreyfus says the government will significantly increase penalties for repeated or serious privacy violations in changes to privacy laws next week. The proposed changes increase the penalties for serious or repeated privacy violations from the current US$1.4 million to around US$32 million. It also increases the maximum penalty to three times the profits made through misuse of information, or up to 30 percent of turnover.

The Attorney General states that when Australians are asked to hand over personal data to companies, they have a right to expect it to be protected. In particular, Dreyfus says, significant privacy breaches in recent weeks show that current protections are inadequate. He also highlights that a major data breach penalty is not enough to be seen as a cost of doing business.