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he government should strengthen cyber security and pay closer attention to the developments of information and communications technology (ICT), analysts say, as currently governments around the world are exploiting ICT to strengthen national security and increase political prowess.

Dadan Umar Daihani from the National Resilience Institute (Lemhanas) said that the power of one nation in this interconnected world was no longer measured solely by its military force and economic might, but also by its grasp of recent technological developments.

“The utilization of technology for destructive purposes has become a threat to national security,” Dadan said during a discussion on cyber warfare in Jakarta.

He explained that keeping pace with recent information technology developments was especially important for Indonesia to defend its large maritime territory.

In terms of economic benefits, it would also help Indonesia identify and make the most of its natural resources, Dadan said.

“The ability of a nation to utilize information technology could support national development. However, if one nation is still incapable of utilizing [information technology], the necessary information that could actually bolster national development would be taken over by foreign parties.”

Soegeng Sarjadi Syndicate (SSS) defense and security affairs observer Kusnanto Anggoro said a nation that possessed advanced technology may have the upper hand in the present interconnected and globalized political map.

“A nation that lacks ‘offensive’ force could utilize information technology to strengthen its national security.”

Cyber warfare would become a serious threat in the future as countries could utilize the world’s interconnected network to fulfill their political agenda, Kusnanto said.

Ashwin Sasongko, Ministry of Communication and Information director general for ICT Applications acknowledged that Indonesia was still lagging in cyber security in comparison to many Asian countries. Ashwin said that Indonesia was more vulnerable to cyber attacks due to the lack of laws regulating Indonesians’ lines of communications — especially with the Internet.

The Indonesian government has been criticized for its lack of attention to ongoing ICT developments, such as advancing government institutions’ online systems and website security mechanisms. Websites belonging to the Indonesian government, which are those with the “.go.id” domain, were especially notorious for their vulnerability to hackers and cyber attacks.

Among the most infamous cyber attacks in Indonesia was when final year Muhammadiyah University student Dani Firmansyah managed to hack the website of the General Election Commission (KPU) during the 2004 general elections and change the names of political parties displayed on the site.

The information system at the House of Representatives was breached in 2010 by an unidentified hacker who converted the information monitor at the House complex at Senayan, Jakarta, to instead display graphic pornographic content for a period of 10 minutes.

Minister of Communication and Information Tifatul Sembiring admitted in June this year that Indonesian government websites were still exposed to cyber attacks, stating that the web sites on the “.go.id” domain had received at least 3 million cyber attacks from hackers. (sat)