President Jokowi Orders Restoration of Public Services Affected by Ransomware Cyberattack

Jakarta, INTI - Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, Hadi Tjahjanto, announced that President Joko Widodo has ordered the restoration of public services affected by a ransomware cyberattack on the Temporary National Data Center (PDNS) 2. According to the Coordinating Minister, the President directed that public services be back to normal by July 2024.

“I just led a Ministerial Level Meeting attended by the Minister of Communication and Information Technology, the Head of the National Cyber and Crypto Agency (BSSN), and the Deputy Minister of State-Owned Enterprises to discuss the follow-up on the President's order for all public services to return to normal by July 2024,” he explained during a press conference at the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs office in Central Jakarta on Monday (01/07/2024).

Service Restoration Process

Minister Hadi Tjahjanto explained that government services using PDNS 2 are currently in the process of being restored. One of the restoration steps involves using backup servers from the Cold Site in Batam, which are then activated at PDNS 1 facilities and the Temporary Data Center owned by the provider.

Regarding backups, the Coordinating Minister emphasized that this is a mandatory requirement. “This is mandatory, not optional. Thus, if PDNS experiences operational disruptions, there is still a backup in the DRC or Cold Site in Batam that can auto-gate interactive services,” he stated.

With this backup arrangement, every tenant or government ministry and agency will have backup data and services to ensure continuity if a similar incident occurs in the future.

Data Placement Arrangement

The government will prepare arrangements related to data placement and its layered backups according to the level of data classification, ranging from strategic data, limited data, to open data.

“General or open data, such as statistics, will be stored in the cloud to avoid overloading PDNS,” he explained.

Furthermore, BSSN will continuously enhance cybersecurity by connecting BSSN command and control and activating the Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) to continuously monitor PDNS management and data backups.

Review of Regulations and Security Appeals

“Additionally, the President has instructed us to review Presidential Regulations/Instructions related to cyber operations, including BSSN and its ranks, so that command and control are straightforward if issues arise,” said the Coordinating Minister.

Minister Hadi Tjahjanto also urged every tenant to always remind users to handle accounts carefully and to promptly issue circular letters. “From the forensic results, we have identified that the improper use of passwords caused this serious problem. Therefore, law enforcement by BSSN and the authorities will be carried out according to the applicable regulations,” he emphasized.

The restoration of public services affected by the ransomware cyberattack on PDNS 2 is a government priority. Measures such as using backup servers, enhancing cybersecurity, and reviewing cyber operational regulations are being taken to ensure the security and continuity of public services in the future.

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