Indonesia’s national data centre fell victim to a cyber attack where perpetrators demanded an $8 million ransom, as reported by the country’s communications minister via state news agency Antara on Monday. The attack, attributed to a new variant of the Lockbit 3.0 ransomware, disrupted government services, particularly affecting operations at airports last week, although automated systems have since been restored to functionality, according to the communications ministry.
Minister Budi Arie Setiadi disclosed that the cyber attacker leveraged the Lockbit 3.0 malware, a notorious tool used by the Lockbit cybercrime group for digital extortion. The ransomware encrypts victims’ data, offering decryption keys in exchange for payments typically demanded in cryptocurrency, often amounting to substantial sums ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars. In cases of resistance, hackers may escalate threats by threatening to expose or delete sensitive information to coerce compliance.
Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan, an official at the communications ministry, confirmed that investigations using digital forensics are currently ongoing to gather more details about the cyber attack. Further specifics regarding the incident are yet to be uncovered.
The incident underscores the persistent threat posed by ransomware attacks globally, highlighting vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure and prompting heightened cybersecurity measures to safeguard against such malicious activities.
