Medibank hacker who targeted 10 MILLION Australians is named by the Australian government: Aleksandr Ermakov i

A Russian man has been sanctioned by the government for his role in a data breach which compromised the personal details of more than 10million Australians.

Aleksandr Ermakov has been named by the federal government as the person responsible for the massive Medibank hack in October 2022 that affected at least 9.7million customers.

Information including names, dates of birth, addresses and phone numbers was compromised, some of which was published on the dark web.

But a joint operation conducted by the Australian Signals Directorate and the Australian Federal Police with other agencies and international partners was able to link Ermakov, a known cybercriminal, for his role in the cyber attack.

Aleksandr Ermakov has been named by the federal government as the person responsible for the massive Medibank hack in October 2022 that affected at least 9.7 million customers

The Australian government responded on Tuesday, using cyber sanction powers for the first time on Ermakov.

This means it will be a criminal offence to provide assets, overhaul, or use or deal with Ermakov's assets, including through cryptocurrency wallets or ransomware payments - any breaches will be punishable with up to 10 years in prison.

Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil called the cybercriminals 'cowards and scumbags who hide behind technology'.

'This is a very important day for cyber security in our country,' she told reporters in Canberra.

'It has helped us understand the enormous cost is a problem ... and showed us something about the calibre of people we are dealing with.

Customer information including names, dates of birth, addresses and phone numbers was compromised, some of which was published on the dark web

There are a number of Russian cyber gangs at the heart of the threats Australians face, according to the government.

The sanctions imposed are part of Australia's efforts to debilitate these organisations.

Many of them are dynamic and work in clusters, Australian Cyber Security Head Abigail Bradshaw said, so naming and identifying cybercriminals will hurt their efforts.

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said the sanctions sent a message.

'There are costs and consequences for targeting Australia and targeting Australians,' she said.

'The sanctions are part of Australia's efforts to ensure that we uphold the international rules-based order.