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Calls mount for communication minister's resignation over cyberattack
Pressure has grown for Communications and Information Minister Budi Arie Setiadi to resign from his position following the ministry's perceived failure to prevent and mitigate the impacts of ransomware attacks that have been disrupting hundreds of services since June 20.
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Communications and Information Minister Budi Arie Setiadi (center) sits on June 27, 2024, during a meeting about the Brain Cipher ransomware attack on the temporary National Data Center (PDN) facilities with House of Representatives Commission I overseeing communications and information at the Senayan legislative complex in Jakarta. (Antara/Dhemas Reviyanto)
T
he public has called for the resignation of Communications and Information Minister Budi Arie Setiadi following a week-long nationwide disruption of various public services caused by a ransomware attack on a temporary National Data Center (PDN) facility.
The cyberattack hit the temporary facility in Surabaya, East Java on June 20, disrupting hundreds of services whose online databases were linked to the server. The attack occurred using Brain Cipher, a new variant of the LockBit 3.0 ransomware, which was used to hit sharia lender Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI) last year as claimed by hacker group LockBit.
Since the attack, the government has stumbled to restore services and databases for a total of 282 institutions of the central government and regional administrations.
The Communications and Information Ministry missed their target of restoring at least 18 institutions’ databases by the end of the month, as only five institutions had theirs restored and had resumed activities by Sunday.
His ministry’s failure to protect citizens’ personal information on the server intensified the call for Budi’s resignation.
As of Sunday evening, over 15,500 people have signed an online petition started on Wednesday by internet watchdog Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet) demanding that the minister resign as a gesture of responsibility.
“Please, the honorable minister, bow down and apologize for your incompetence that is impacting the entire country,” wrote one of the signees under the name El Fitri on the petition page. “After that, go ahead and step down from your position.”
