Jakarta. Following a ransomware attack that compromised the national data center and crippled the immigration service, Communication and Informatics Minister Budi Arie Setiadi said on Thursday Indonesia is not the only country to suffer from such an attack.

Speaking at a hearing with the House of Representatives’ Commission I, which oversees defense and foreign affairs, Budi noted that Indonesia ranks among the lowest of the G20 countries in terms of the number of ransomware attacks.

"No country in the world is immune from ransomware. The United States suffers the most attacks, accounting for 40.43 percent of the overall number, followed by Canada with 6.75 percent, the United Kingdom with 6.44 percent, Germany with 4.29 percent, and France with 3.8 percent. Indonesia’s share stands at a mere 0.67 percent," Budi said.

"The ransomware attack in Indonesia is known as the latest version of the virus that has raised concern across the globe,” he added.

However, Budi admitted that the country needs to enhance its cybersecurity system to anticipate future attacks.

Budi said the data center is expected to fully recover from the impacts of the attack by the end of July. He mentioned earlier that the group behind the attack had demanded a ransom of $8 million.

He confirmed that the attackers were not “state actors” but did not provide further details.

“This is an isolated incident involving individuals with an economic motive,” Budi said.

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