TheJakartaPost
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Cybersecurity and resilience in national security
Since the government established the National Cyber and Encryption Agency (BSSN), Indonesia’s ranking on the Global Cybersecurity Index jumped from 70 in 2017 to 36 in 2018. But at home, Indonesia’s cybersecurity governance — regulations and institutions — remains weak.
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Illustration of Cybersecurity. (www.nationalcybersecurityinstitute.org/File)
T
he chaos that plagued the country’s banking system during last month’s blackout significantly disrupted many a schedule on an otherwise normal day. The incident has brought us closer to a grey swan event in a foreseeable future.
What if cyberattacks cause prolonged disruption to critical public infrastructure? Which security agencies are capable of verifying the origins of and the damage incurred by such an attack? How can we best respond?
Since the government established the National Cyber and Encryption Agency (BSSN), Indonesia’s ranking on the Global Cybersecurity Index jumped from 70 in 2017 to 36 in 2018. Jakarta has also played an active role in cyber diplomacy through bilateral and multilateral channels, such as ASEAN and the United Nations Groups of Governmental Experts. But at home, Indonesia’s cybersecurity governance — regulations and institutions — remains weak.
The House of Representatives and the government are currently deliberating the cybersecurity and resilience bill. The legislative and executive both aim to finalize the inaugural bill before the term of the current House ends on Sept. 24.
The urgency surrounding the bill draws in part from the increasing cyber threats to the country’s thriving digital economy and e-governance. The Mata Garuda and Honeypot data acquisition systems have respectively recorded more than 229.4 million and 12.8 million cyberattacks, according to the BSSN.
The bill should be viewed as a substantial effort to strengthen cybersecurity governance. Together with the Telecommunications Law and the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law, followed by the electronic banking transactions bill, the cybersecurity bill will complement the regulatory ecosystem of cyber governance.
It must be noted that in principle, the cybersecurity and resilience bill is inseparable from national security strategies. Therefore, it is obliged to meet four basic principles: uphold democracy and civil rights, use national security resources efficiently according to the level of the threat, possess specialized functions and technical competencies, and cooperate and coordinate across institutions.
