By : Toni Ervianto, Master Graduated of  the University of Indonesia (UI)

Indonesia had seen a drastic increase in cybercrime, with the number of cases growing by 389 percent in 2014 to 2015. Most of the cases occurred in the e-commerce sector. Cyber threats posed new challenges regarding the readiness of government institutions.

President Jokowi has given an instruction that to deal with cybersecurity issues, we do not need to form a new institution, or start from zero. We can expand or consolidate units at ministries or institutions that have cybersecurity functions.

According to the data from the Office of the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister revealed in July that cyberattacks in Indonesia rose by 33 percent in 2015 from the previous year, of which 54.5 percent were aimed at e-commerce-related websites. Most of the attacks caused systems to stop working.

Nowadays, the current form of terror threats, which include foreign terrorists, cross-border terrorism, use of internet in spreading radicalism, as well as an increase of terrorist financing cases in neighboring countries, ASEAN member states should build up cybersecurity to better track and counter such threats. Cybersecurity has become a new challenge in our regional security. Due to its complex and sophisticated nature, ASEAN should give more concern to the matter as well as involve other relevant stakeholders to improve defense.

During the 28th and 29th ASEAN summits, taking place in Vientiane, Lao, on Sept.6 to 8, in which Southeast Asian leaders were urged to step up regional cooperation in countering terrorism, especially to enhance technological defense to improve cybersecurity to tackle such terror and other threats made through the internet.

Cybersecurity threats is an acute problem for the international community, requiring stronger intergovernmental cooperation to tackle. The importance of boosting cooperation between governments to address the increasing threat of terrorism and organized cybercrime.  

Cybersecurity will be dominating a global attention over the increasing use of the internet, including social media, in terrorism, to recruit new militants, propagate extreme views, and to communicate with other terror perpetrators on the ground. 

Recently but regretfully, the internet and cyber technologies have been used more and more intensively by terrorists and organized crimes in their criminal activities. This is why all governments should strongly combat and destroy such terrorism attempts. Indonesia must build a strong cooperation with another countries to tackle counterterrorism and cybercrime through bilateral consultation on strategic stability. 

To tackle and to minimalize cybersecurity threats, every countries suppose to improve the importance of international intelligence cooperation as part of counterterrorism measures, particularly to adopt effective measures to prevent terrorism financing. The importance of broadening and intensifying regional cooperation to enhance deradicalization and counterradicalism programs, as well as to find and tackle the root causes of terrorism.

The challenge of all circles readiness

             The efforts of a terror groups to spread their influence and recruiting a new members through an internet must help us to be vigilant, because the capacity of an internet to spread whatever message especially, a terror’s value and ideology, radicalism, an intolerance spirit could endanger the humankind.

            Besides, cybersecurity threats which is done by a terror groups, cyber threats also endangering the security of an economic circle, because if an economic sector from one country has been attacked by hacker or a terror groups, its their economic sustainability could collaps abrauptly.

The facts said that Indonesia had seen a drastic increase in cybercrime, with the number of cases growing by 389 percent in 2014 to 2015. Most of the cases occurred in the e-commerce sector.

The cyber attack of e-commerce sector in Indonesia must be anticipated by all circles especially all government institution that have cybersecurity functions such as the National Police (Polri), the national bank communities especially the Central Bank (BI), Financial Service Authority (OJK) and the State Intelligence Agency (BIN). However, the existance of cybersecurity threats can trigger us to uphold and strengthen national readiness to tackle and handle these a serious national threats.

The target of cybersecurity attacks will be included either economic, social or political sector’s. The maximum target of cyber attack preperators on an economic sector is to damage all of economic potential and capabilities so that the competitiveness will be down.

Furthermore, the maximum target of cyber attack on social sector is to raise and to spread social uncertainty and social suspicious among each other and to make and to create social riots.

Whilst, the target of cyber attack on political sector is to steal the urgent data such as data about an executive, legislative and yudicative officers, data about all of political parties and other government institution and last but not least data about all of NGO and civilian groups including their habits, plan and capabilities.

At least, we must take a huge attention on cybersecurity threats because it will jeopardize our national security even our existences. Because of that, a literation process to all of national circles about these problem should be taken. The government which has a cybersecurity function must upgrade their capabilities to tackle a cyber threats which done by state actors or non-state actors.

 We must strengthen our capabilities to minimalize cyber threats through intensively doing cyber patrol; to block and to shut-down a radical’s website or social media; to monitor a new suspicious social media which spread hate-speech, a terrorist propaganda or voicing a separatist group interest and last but not least Indonesia must have capabilities to launch cyber war to state or non-state actors who have bad intention and endanger our national interest.