Cyber-attacks are an unfortunate and undeniable consequence of the ongoing digital transformation. As organisations from all sectors across the world embrace digital technology to improve productivity and efficiency, the inherent vulnerabilities it brings also offer opportunities for malicious actors to exploit critical data. The situation is no different in Indonesia.
Deputy of Cyber Security and Government Code and Human Development at BSSN, Sulistyo, acknowledged that current attacks on a country are not only through land, sea, or air but also cyberspace. This new challenge requires special attention from relevant institutions to formulate strategies extensively, to protect against potential attacks that can occur at any time.
“Currently, there is a new world known as the cyber world or what we know as the internet. The higher the utilisation of information and communication technology, the proportional increase in risks and security threats,” said Sulistyo. “Therefore, the CSIRT has become crucial in mitigating cyber-attacks and incidents.”
Against this backdrop, the State Cyber and Code Agency (BSSN) and the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP) have launched the Cyber Incident Response Team or Computer Security Incident Response (CSIRT) to address and respond promptly to these issues.
The launch of CSIRT marks a significant step towards enhancing and addressing the cybersecurity landscape that has been increasingly relevant in recent times within Indonesia. With the rise of cyber threats and incidents affecting various sectors and organisations, establishing CSIRT aims to bolster the country’s preparedness and response capabilities in effectively mitigating and managing cybersecurity incidents.
Through its comprehensive approach, CSIRT aims to enhance the country’s ability to detect, respond to, and recover from cyber incidents, thereby minimising potential disruptions and safeguarding critical infrastructure, sensitive information, and digital assets.
This proactive measure underscores the recognition of the importance of safeguarding critical digital infrastructure, sensitive data, and the overall security of the nation’s cyber ecosystem.
By fostering collaboration and implementing advanced technologies, CSIRT endeavours to create a robust framework that enables coordinated actions to mitigate and counter emerging cyber threats. The team’s mandate includes proactive monitoring, incident response, and the development of effective strategies and guidelines to ensure a resilient cybersecurity posture for Indonesia.
Cybersecurity resilience is a long-term strategy that must be viewed. Considering the imminent planned relocation of the capital city, Hinsa Siburian, the Head of the National Cyber and Crypto Agency (BSSN) of the Republic of Indonesia, encourages to strengthening cybersecurity resilience as part of the preparedness for resilience in the future Nusantara Capital City (IKN).
According to the President’s Regulations (Perpres), The cyber security system in IKN will encompass identification, detection, protection, response, and recovery, emphasising continuous development and considering human resources, governance, and technology aspects.
To ensure robust security, it is crucial to establish a framework of policies that address various aspects. These policies encompass multiple measures, including comprehensive responses to potential cyber security threats and incidents. This needs formulating effective recovery policies that outline strategies for restoring systems.
Furthermore, it is also vital to establish meticulous procedures to safeguard the security of data centres, which serve as a backbone of critical infrastructure and house vast amounts of sensitive information.
In the future, policies should be devised to outline the proper management and security of these backup facilities, including regular synchronisation of data, redundancy measures, and the implementation of robust disaster recovery plans.
With the launch of CSIRT BPKB, BSSN is confident that it can further strengthen the internal cyber security of BPKP and, on a broader scale, enhance the cyber resilience of the Indonesian Government now and later.
