Indonesia President, Joko Widodo has ordered an audit of Indonesia’s government data centers following a significant ransomware attack.
The cyberattack revealed serious weaknesses in the country’s data management systems.
The attack disrupted various government services, including immigration and major airports, affecting over 230 public agencies.
This disruption has caused inconvenience for many citizens and travelers.
The attackers demanded a ransom of $8 million, which the Indonesian government refused to pay.
President Widodo has directed the state auditor to examine both governance and financial aspects of the data centers. The audit aims to identify and fix vulnerabilities in the data management systems.
It was found that 98% of the compromised data was not backed up, highlighting poor governance and data management practices.
Indonesia’s communications minister admitted the lack of mandatory data backups, citing budget constraints. He announced plans to make data backups mandatory in the future.
The cyberattack has led to public criticism of the communications minister. Digital advocacy group SAFEnet has called for his resignation.
The ransomware used in the attack was Lockbit 3.0. The government believes the attack was carried out by a non-state actor seeking money. Full restoration of services is expected by August.
