Semarang, C. Java. An Indonesian elementary school student has received official recognition from the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) after identifying and responsibly disclosing a security vulnerability in one of the agency's public-facing systems.

Ibrahim Al Abrar, a student at SD Negeri 3 Genengsari in Boyolali, Central Java, was awarded a Letter of Recognition by NASA on July 9 after reporting a vulnerability covered under the agency's Vulnerability Disclosure Policy (VDP).

The flaw involved a broken link hijacking issue, in which inactive social media links could potentially be taken over by malicious actors and used for phishing attacks or to spread misinformation under NASA's name.

NASA verified Ibrahim's report after he submitted it through the agency's responsible disclosure program, according to Indonesian officials.

Central Java Governor Ahmad Luthfi on Wednesday presented Ibrahim with a laptop and other educational supplies, praising the achievement as proof that globally competitive digital talent can emerge from rural Indonesia with the right support.

"Students like him deserve our support so they can continue to grow," Luthfi said after meeting Ibrahim at his office.

The governor also asked the young student about his career aspirations.

"I want to become a cybersecurity professional," Ibrahim replied.

Ibrahim said it took him about six days to validate the vulnerability, spending three to four hours each day working on the issue. He used the artificial intelligence platform DeepSeek to help identify the flaw and said he learned coding largely through self-study using online resources, YouTube tutorials and virtual communities.

His father, a computer teacher at a vocational high school in Boyolali, also helped guide his learning.

This is not Ibrahim's first cybersecurity achievement. He previously identified a vulnerability in the website of Indonesia's Lampung provincial government and received a certificate of appreciation for his findings.

Central Java's Education Office said the provincial government provided the laptop to help Ibrahim further develop his programming and cybersecurity skills. He has also received a scholarship from an Islamic junior high school in Surakarta.

NASA's Vulnerability Disclosure Policy encourages security researchers and ethical hackers worldwide to report security weaknesses responsibly so they can be fixed before being exploited. Unlike bug bounty programs, which often provide monetary rewards, many government agencies, including NASA, primarily recognize valid reports through public acknowledgment or letters of appreciation.

Add as a preferred source on Google +