A recent significant cyberattack has caused extensive disruption to over 40 agencies within the Indonesian government. The attack, considered the most severe in the country in recent years, resulted in the paralysis of immigration services and the interruption of operations at several major airports for an extended period.
According to an official from the communications ministry, Usman Kansong, a total of 44 government agencies, including key ministries, were affected by the ransomware attack. Data at five of these agencies, such as immigration services and the coordinating ministry of investment, has since been restored. Efforts are currently underway to restore data at the remaining 39 agencies, with a target for 18 of them to be up and running by the end of the month.
In an effort to reassure the public, Telkom Group director Harlan Wijanarko expressed that the national data center’s system has been isolated to prevent further unauthorized access. He further added that investigations into the cause of the attack are ongoing. The Telkom group operates two major data centers located in Jakarta and Surabaya, both of which are relied upon by all government agencies in Indonesia for data storage. The Surabaya data center was the specific target of the attack.
The communications ministry has revealed that the attackers utilized malicious software known as Lockbit 3.0 and demanded an $8 million ransom, which the government refused to pay. The Lockbit cybercrime group is recognized for using ransomware to extort its victims by encrypting their data and then demanding large sums of money, typically in cryptocurrency, in exchange for restoration.
The entire incident has served as a stark reminder of the ever-present threat posed by cyberattacks, highlighting the need for robust cybersecurity measures to safeguard sensitive government data.
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