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Ransomware attack behind massive disruption to national data center
The government said on Monday that last week's breach at the National Data Center (PDN), which disrupted immigration processing and other public services, was a ransomware attack.
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The data failure at the facility in Surabaya, East Java, was first reported on Thursday morning and impacted databases managed by more than 200 central government and regional institutions. (Reuters/Kacper Pempel)
T
he government announced on Monday that a cyberattack using a new variant of ransomware was responsible for data disruptions at two temporary National Data Center (PDN) facilities last week that crippled immigration processing at airports and disrupted other public services, adding that the attackers had demanded US$8 million in ransom.
The data failure at the facility in Surabaya, East Java, was first reported on Thursday morning and impacted databases managed by more than 200 central government and regional institutions.
As of Monday, the government was still trying to restore the affected public services across the country, although all immigration services, including passport and visa-on-arrival processing, were running normally.
National Cyber and Crypto Agency (BSSN) head Hinsa Siburian said digital forensic investigators found that unnamed attackers had used a new variant of existing malicious software Lockbit 3.0.
“The ransomware’s name is Brain Cipher. It is an updated, new variant of the LockBit 3.0 ransomware,” Hinsa told a press briefing on Monday at the Communications and Information Ministry.
LockBit 3.0 is ransomware that blocks user access to computer systems and is often used by hacker group LockBit to digitally extort its victims.
Many of the details of the case remain uncertain, including who was responsible for the attack and what the motives were.
