TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Deputy Minister of Communication and Informatics, or Kominfo, Nezar Patria said no digital infrastructure is safe from cyber attacks, including the Temporary National Data Center or PDNS.

"We must be aware that there is no safe place for all digital infrastructure," said Nezar, quoted from the official Kominfo website, Thursday, June 27, 2024.

He also apologized to the public for the cyber attack on PDNS and admitted that the system was weak. Kominfo will make efforts to restore the system. "This attack that has occurred shows weakness. The Communications Ministry as the institution that oversees this issue has apologized, especially to the public whose services were disrupted," said Nezar.

Nezar said the government will accelerate digital transformation going forward. The ransomware attack will not deter the government from carrying out efforts to strengthen Indonesia's cyber security during the digital transformation process.

"I think we have learned quite a critical lesson here. We must not go backward but take the steps forward. Indonesia must be at the forefront of digitalization. Let this not break our spirit," said Nezar

As previously reported, the cyber attack on PDNS resulted in a ransom demand worth US$8 million or Rp131 billion the government confirmed it won’t pay. The Indonesian government chose to cut off all data access to PDNS 2 Surabaya which was attacked by ransomware.

"The government doesn't want to (pay), because the data has been secured. We closed it," said the Director General of Information and Public Communication, Usman Kansong, on Wednesday, June 26, 2024.

Cutting down access to PDNS Surabaya has its own set of repercussions. On one hand, closing the access will result in the loss of all data at PDNS Surabaya if there is no backup.

Usman said Kominfo, the National Cyber and Encryption Agency or BSSN, and Telkom Sigma as the vendor had isolated data from PDNS 2 in Surabaya, claiming that the data wouldn’t be taken by the ransomware, even if the server is paralyzed.

ALIF ILHAM FAJRIADI

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