STRENGTHENING CYBER DEFENSE TO PROTECT INDONESIA'S SOVEREIGNTY by Fardah

 Jakarta, Oct 11,2017 (Antara) - In the current cyber era, cyber threats and attacks could affect sovereignty of a country; therefore, strengthening Indonesia's cyber defense is crucial to protect its national interests.

          Several government institutions, such as the National Intelligence Agency (BIN), the Defense Ministry, the Headquarters of the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI), and the National Police (Polri), have, respectively, had independent cybersecurity unit.

        Cybersecurity has become a major issue, given the large number of internet users in Indonesia, which is around 132 million. In fact, Indonesia is viewed as having the potential to develop reliable cybersecurity mechanisms.

        In June 2017, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) inaugurated a national cyber agency called National Cyber and Encryption Agency (BSSN), which is expected to become operational soon.

        BSSN was launched following a global ransomware attack by the WannaCry virus, which affected more than 150 countries around the world, including Indonesia, in May this year.

         BSSN, which will function under the coordination of Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Wiranto, is expected to serve as an umbrella for all cybersecurity units to prevent overlapping and to strengthen coordination.

        Wiranto has said that the government would appoint a BSSN chief this October.

        "(The chief will be appointed) as soon as possible. I hope this month," he told the press after chairing a limited coordinating meeting on BSSN in Jakarta on Oct 4.

          The meeting was attended by Communication and Informatics Minister, Rudiantara, and State Apparatus' Empowerment and Bureaucracy Reform Minister, Asman Abnur, among others.

         Discussions on the agency's organizational structure have been completed, he stated.

          BSSN is tasked with strengthening the national cyber security and coordinating with various cyber security activities existing in various institutions in order to prevent overlapping, Wiranto explained.

            In line with the Presidential Regulation No 53/2017 on BSSN, the non-ministerial agency is accountable to the president, through Wiranto.

         The agency will have one chief, four deputies, and one first secretary. The chief is appointed and dismissed by the president, at the suggestion of the coordinating minister. 
   The State Encryption Agency, the Information Security Directorate of the Communication and Informatics Ministry, and ID SIRTII have been merged into BSSN.

        Jokowi had earlier reminded that the agency should be operational soon because it is crucial to deal with new non-military threats.

              While speaking before students of the Police Academy in Semarang, Central Java Province, recently, the Head of State called on the Indonesian Police to take precautionary measures against the misuse of advancements in information technology to commit more sophisticated crimes.

         Progress in IT has triggered cyber crimes that outnumber conventional crimes.

         "It also concerns political stability and security that could affect the economy, investment, and businesses," the President added.      
    In addition to the National Police, the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) must also strengthen cyber defense to counter increasing cyber threats.

         In fact, in advanced countries, the cyber defense force is the fourth dimension after the Army, Navy, and Air Force, Hammam Riza, deputy in charge of Information Technology, Energy, and Material of the Agency of Study and Application of Technology (BPPT) noted recently.

            The TNI should give special attention to protect information in order to safeguard the nation's sovereignty, he emphasized, adding that it is crucial to deal with the spread of hoax or false information.

          Through its study of technology applications, the BPPT is ready to support the TNI in strengthening cyber defense, he stated.

             It has been outlined in the recommendations on technology for architecture of the system of state defense information, he remarked.

             "The progress in information technology and communication globally should be responded by preparing sophisticated infrastructure and improving quality as well as competency in cyber defense of the TNI," he remarked.

          Riza is optimistic that the TNI would develop cyber defense, which is among the best in the world.

          Cyber threats, such as the Wannacry ransomware virus, are getting increasingly difficult to anticipate, as advanced persistent threats and zero-day exploits targeting several countries have high destructive power.

        Hence, in addition to information defense, Indonesia should develop plans to protect critical infrastructure, such as in the areas of energy, aviation, fuel, health, finance, banking, telecommunications, legal enforcement, security and intelligence, public utility, and general elections, he said.

        "Such infrastructure is crucial as it concerns the interests of the public at large and the survival of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia. For prevention, the country must strengthen information technology and communication security, as any attack could pose a huge risk," he said.

         The demands for cybersecurity to protect critical infrastructure  should be met to deal with cyber attacks at the nationwide level as well as at a specific level in various strategic sectors for the sake of cyber resilience. ***2***

(f001/INE)
EDITED BY INE
  

(T.F001/A/BESSR/F. Assegaf) 11-10-2017