Heaptalk, Jakarta — National cyber security has become a priority since information and communication technology is utilized in various aspects, including social, economic, legal, organizational, health, education, culture, government, security, and defense.
According to the National Cyber Security Index (NSCI), Indonesia’s Indonesia’s cyber security index score reached 63.64 points out of 100 as of September 2023. This figure places Indonesia in 4th place among Southeast Asian countries. Meanwhile, Indonesia occupied the 49th position among the 176 countries listed in the report.
Nevertheless, the 1st presidential candidate of Indonesia 2024, Anies Baswedan, said that the archipelago still needs to amplify its security aspects as the issue of hacking is still a complex national cyber security problem for society and the country. Even more, Anies claimed that more than 800 million cyber attacks have occurred.
“The problem is one of the non-traditional threats increasingly becoming real in the country. Our families and electronic devices such as smartphones and computers still face hacking problems,” affirmed Anies during the third presidential candidate debate (01/07)
Meanwhile, the 2nd presidential candidate, Prabowo Subianto, elaborated on the cybersecurity problem key of multiple high technologies, such as artificial intelligence, lies in human resources as this aspect is a defining factor in mitigating cyber security issues, following other elements such as processes and technology. Aligned with Prabowo, the 3rd presidential candidate, Ganjar Pranowo, added that Internet infrastructure challenges are still one of the factors in poor national cyber security.
Technology platforms are claimed to contribute to the country’s digital economy. Separately, the Chairman of Communication and Information System Research Center (CISSReC), Dr. Pratama Dahlian Persadha, revealed the digital economy potential in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, reached US$19.3 billion (around Rp300 trillion).
On the contrary, with the high level of technology platform utilization, the level of risk and threat of misuse of information and communication technology is also increasingly more elevated and more complex.
“Many people think that a technology system with excellent performance is adequate, and then it can do calculations more quickly, and it looks great, but they ignore that the security issues must be a concern. Moreover, Indonesia’s digital economy, including high-level stakeholders, still lacks security awareness.” Pratama said.
As is known, Indonesia is still encountering data breach issues over the past year. The National Cyber and Crypto Agency (BSSN) recorded around 207 suspected data leaks in Indonesia throughout 2023. According to the data, the most common leak issues occurred in government agencies, which attains 55%.
BSSN also detected the data leakage issues in the archipelago in the last year, covering government administration (55%), financial (10%), transportation (6%), information and communication technology (3%), food (2%), health (1%), defense (1%), and others (16%) per October 2023.
“This condition creates irony as the archipelago intensively digitalizes all lines of the economy, but the country still looks down on cyber security. Digitalization itself has created a risk of cyberattacks,” Pratama said in his statement during the sideline of the XCION event in March 2023.
As a citizen running for Indonesia’s President in 2024, three presidential candidates claimed to propels Indonesia’s cyber defense. The presidential candidate no 1, Anies promise to execute multiple strategic efforts to resolve this irony. Based on his perspective, the country must own a comprehensive planning system involving overall institutions, including components of society. On the other hand, he also perceived the latest technological procurement, whereby the critical point remains through the involvement of all parties.
In preserving the country’s cyber security system, Prabowo Subianto also admitted Indonesia needs to set up digital talent with a deep comprehension of the latest technological evolution worldwide. On the other hand, the presidential candidate no 3, Ganjar emphasized reinforcing BSSN and building the security system adequately to protect national security. Apart from maturing the technical resources and infrastructure, he would also advance the internet speed and coverage as the critical security.
