The Indonesian government has acknowledged a significant ransomware attack on its national datacenter, operated by the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (Kominfo), known as the National Data Center or Pusat Data Nasional (PDN).

via GIPHY

The attack, reportedly involving a variant of LockBit 3.0 known as Brain Cipher, occurred on June 20, leading to severe disruptions in essential services across the country.

During a press conference, the communications minister confirmed that the PDN lockdown affected at least 210 institutions. Key services such as digital immigration processes, passport issuance, and online student registrations were severely impacted, causing delays and operational challenges nationwide.

Reports indicate that the cybercriminals behind the attack demanded a ransom of 131 billion Rupiah (approximately $8 million USD). However, the Indonesian government has not disclosed its stance on whether it intends to pay the ransom.

🚨New #Ransomware Group 🚨

A new ransomware group has been detected: Brain Cipher.

This group, according to cybersecurity analyst @AlvieriD , is behind Indonesia’s national data center attack, which led to the disruption of immigration checks at airports and various other… pic.twitter.com/dgE0sCK2wT

— HackManac (@H4ckManac) June 25, 2024

This incident highlights the critical importance of robust cybersecurity measures to safeguard national infrastructure against increasingly sophisticated threats.

Abdul Rehman

Abdul is a tech-savvy, coffee-fueled, and creatively driven marketer who loves keeping up with the latest software updates and tech gadgets. He’s also a skilled technical writer who can explain complex concepts simply for a broad audience. Abdul enjoys sharing his knowledge of the Cloud industry through user manuals, documentation, and blog posts.

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