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Ransomware attack puts pressure on govt to fix digital infrastructure
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While many details of the incident have yet to be disclosed, including who was responsible for the attack, the National Cyber and Encryption Agency (BSSN) has said the attackers used a new ransomware variant called Brain Cipher, an updated version of the LockBit 3.0 ransomware. (Shutterstock/sdecoret)
P
ressure is mounting on the government to restore all public services affected by last week’s ransomware attack on a temporary national data center (PDN) and to improve the security of state digital infrastructure to prevent such cyberattacks in the future.
The temporary facility in Surabaya, East Java, was hit by the ransomware attack on June 20. The breach impacted databases belonging to 210 central government and regional institutions and disrupted immigration processing at airports as well as other public services.
While many details of the incident have yet to be disclosed, including who was responsible for the attack, the National Cyber and Encryption Agency (BSSN) has said the attackers used a new ransomware variant called Brain Cipher, an updated version of the LockBit 3.0 ransomware.
LockBit 3.0 gained notoriety in Indonesia last year after hacker group LockBit claimed to have used the malicious software to steal the data of over 15 million customers of state-owned sharia lender Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI).
The ransomware blocks user access to computer systems and is often used by LockBit to digitally extort its victims.
Other past ransomware attacks that have attracted nationwide attention include ones on two hospitals in Jakarta, Dharmais and Harapan Kita, whose server and data access were blocked by the WannaCry ransomware in 2017.
But the latest attack at the national data center has been deemed by cybersecurity analysts as the most dire to date and the first to cause days-long, massive disruptions to public services.
