DIGIVESTASI - National Data Center Temporarily Disrupted by Brain Chiper Ransomware. The National Data Center has been experiencing disruptions since Thursday (June 20) due to the Brain Chiper Ransomware attack. IT experts have described this incident as both extraordinary

Vaksincom Technology Security Specialist Alfons Tanujaya stated that any type of ransomware would erase traces once it infiltrates a system. "There is nothing extraordinary about a new ransomware, whatever its name. What's extraordinarily severe is that a data center as important as the National Data Center could get infected with ransomware," Alfons told Katadata.co.id on Monday (June 24).

Alfons added that it is deeply troubling if hackers managed to steal data from the National Data Center. "If the data was indeed taken, it indicates that the ransomware had been embedded in the system for a long time, long enough to copy the server data," he added.

According to sources from Cyberint and Flare Cyber, Brain Chiper Ransomware is dangerous due to its use of advanced encryption techniques and double extortion tactics. In addition to encrypting data, hackers steal sensitive information and threaten to publish it if the ransom is not paid.

In the case of the National Data Center, the hackers demanded a ransom of US$8 million or around IDR 131 billion (exchange rate IDR 16,457 per US$).

Incidents caused by Brain Chiper Ransomware often result in significant damage, including massive operational disruptions and the leakage of sensitive data, as seen in the cases of Crinetics Pharmaceuticals and Virginia Union University. Organizations hit by this ransomware often struggle with recovery, even if they have data backups. This is because the ransomware can target and encrypt or delete backup data, complicating and increasing the cost of the recovery process.

Director General of Informatics Application, Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan, added that the ministry is conducting a digital forensic investigation into the causes of the disruption at the National Data Center. "We are still in the process. This is a new variant, so we are coordinating with various organizations both domestically and internationally to handle this ransomware attack. We cannot provide more details at this time," said Semuel.

Kominfo will report the findings to the ministries, agencies, and companies that use the National Data Center. BSSN, Kominfo, the Police, and the Telkom Sigma Lintasarta consortium are conducting a thorough investigation into the causes of the disruption at the National Data Center.

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