BSSN's Website Gets Hacked; Cybersecurity Expert Comments

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The National Cyber and Encryption Agency’s (BSSN) website www.pusmanas.bssn.go.id got hacked and hit by a defacement attack. Cybersecurity expert Pratama Persadha said the attack was posted on Wednesday, October 20, by Twitter account @son1x777.

The account tweeted that the page was hacked by "theMx0nday." “It was written that the attack was launched to avenge hackers allegedly from Indonesia who hacked the Brazilian state website,” said Pratama, who is the chairman of the Communication and Information System Security Research Center (CISSReC), in a statement, Monday, October 25.

He explained the website defacement was a cyber attack on a website that changed the visual appearance of a web page entirely or only in certain parts.

According to Pratama, BSSN should have had a mitigation plan or Business Continuity Planning (BCP) from the start when hit by a cyber attack. Judging from the good security system at the agency, he suspected that there was a violation of the SOP.

“Don't think that all deface attacks are light attacks, maybe the hackers are already inside the website,” Pratama added, underlining that it is necessary to carry out digital forensics and an overall information security audit.

He also lamented that such an incident befell a state agency that should have the safest cybersecurity. “What’s most important is that the data are encrypted so even if they are stolen, the hackers will not be able to read the contents.”

There is no truly secure information system in the world, Pratama opined, since websites of the FBI, NASA, and CIA had also fallen victims to hackers. The sole solution is periodic security audits or pentest.

Pratama also urged the government to immediately pass the personal data protection bill that will force all state institutions to improve their information and technology infrastructure and human resources and adopt policies that are pro-cyber security.

As of Monday, October 25, at 15:09 local time, the BSSN’s website remained inaccessible. BSSN Head Hinsa Siburian has not yet responded to Tempo's calls and messages.

Read: Kaspersky and BSSN Sign Partnership Deal in Cybersecurity

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