CANBERRA: Cyber experts from the spooky Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) are cracking down on offshore cybercrims who have been targeting Australian households and businesses, according to Defence Minister Linda Reynolds. In a media statement yesterday, Reynolds also said that ASD has also been engaging the telecoms companies to block and take down malicious Web sites.

“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,” Reynolds says.

And she adds: “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.”

ASD director-general Rachel Noble – also quoted in Reynolds’ presser – warns that she expects the cyber crims to continue targeting Australians via “COVID-19 themed malicious activities”.