Kominfo's Aptika Director General Resigns After National Data Center Hack

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan, Director General of Informatics Applications (Aptika) at Indonesia's Ministry of Communication and Informatics (Kominfo), has stepped down in the wake of the Temporary National Data Center (PDNS) hack.

“Effective July 1, I submitted a letter of resignation to the Kominfo Minister. Thank you for the cooperation thus far,” Semuel said at the Kominfo Ministry office in Jakarta on Thursday, July 4.

Semuel, who served as Aptika Director General for eight years, expressed remorse for the PDNS breach. “I apologize for any shortcomings or missteps during my tenure. Indonesia is increasingly connected digitally.”

Citing a sense of moral responsibility, Semuel hoped the case could be resolved soon. “It should be finished with me because this is a problem I should handle well,” he remarked.

Data recovery efforts are ongoing. Semuel did not comment on his successor. “There will surely be a replacement,” he simply said.

Regarding his future plans, Semuel revealed his intention to remain involved in the digital sphere, albeit outside the government sector. 

The PDNS hack, perpetrated by the Lockbit 0.3 ransomware group, compromised 210 servers across various central and regional institutions. The hackers demanded a ransom of US$8 million or Rp131 billion, which the Indonesian government refused to pay.

Earlier reports suggested that the Brain Cipher ransomware group followed through on their promise to provide the decryption key for free to the Kominfo Ministry. However, they threaten to publicize the data if the Kominfo Ministry claims independent data recovery or uses third-party assistance.

DESTY LUTHFIANI

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