Although the 5G network can increase accessibility, it can also potentially invite greater cyberattacks. In a cyber war, even hacking can be a weapon aimed at shaking up the economy and politics.
By
KOMPAS EDITOR
·3 minutes read
Kompas
One of the uploads to the Twitter account @son1x666 which contains a database of Polri personnel. This Polri database was the target of hacking.
For the umpteenth time, hackers hacked into state agency websites last week, resulting in the trade of state secrets. An incident like this must not occur again.
It was not just any website that was cyberattacked but the National Police’s internal network, which has now been hacked twice. The personal data of police personnel, including name, rank, working unit, blood type, email and telephone number, have been sold online. Reported violations have also been leaked.
The National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department’s (Bareskrim) Cyber Crimes Directorate is still investigating the case. However, an investigation alone is not merely enough. There needs to be comprehensive efforts to overcome the weak cybersecurity and strengthen data protection.
It has not been long since the National Cyber and Encryption Agency’s National Malware Center (Pusmanas BSSN) was hacked and its home page altered. Data from the House of Representatives Commission I, overseeing defense, foreign affairs, information and intelligence have surprised many, showing that nearly half of the government websites have been hacked before.
An investigation into these cyberattacks in October by Kompas also found evidence that the cybersecurity of government websites was still weak and the standards in cybersecurity for these websites were not yet uniform. Moreover, hackers needed only a maximum of three hours to break into sites with the go.id domain. On a scale of one to 10, government websites’ cybersecurity scored four.
The country’s lack of urgency in dealing with hacking is reflected in the consistent delay in deliberating the cybersecurity and resilience bill. The bill, which has been under the government’s deliberation in the House since 2019, remains adrift until today.
Even the personal data protection bill is stuck with the supervisory body as the government and the House have yet to come to an agreement. Meanwhile, hacking is rampant and more personal data are being leaked and sold online.
Amid a lack of cybersecurity experts, we may also need to gather and foster hackers across the country to test the cybersecurity of both government and public websites. It is important to build a defense that will guard against all types of hackers. We cannot tolerate any weaker cybersecurity as it will erode public trust in government authorities’ ability to secure the private data of its citizens.
Moving forward, digital resilience will become a strategic issue. The pandemic has pushed us into working digitally. Traveling across regions and countries now require contact tracing, which also enables the greater spread of personal data. Although the 5G network can increase accessibility, it can also potentially invite greater cyberattacks. In a cyber war, even hacking can be a weapon aimed at shaking up the economy and politics.
