News Of The Server Hacked By Chinese Hackers, BIN Ensures Periodic Checks Are Done

JAKARTA - The State Intelligence Agency (BIN) ensures that it always checks regularly on its servers, even before the news of hacking by hackers from China.

This was conveyed by Deputy VII BIN Wawan Hari Purwanto in response to the news of the hacking carried out by Mustang Panda, which has been known as a hacker group from China and used to carry out spying activities on the internet.

"BIN always checks regularly on the running system, including the server, to ensure that the server continues to function as usual," said Wawan in a written statement to reporters, Tuesday, September 14.

He said that currently, BIN's server is still in a safe and controlled condition and no hacking has been experienced, such as the information circulating. Wawan emphasized that his party will continue to coordinate and explore the truth of this news with related parties.

In addition, he also said that BIN has cooperated with BSSN, Kominfo, and other parties to ensure the security of BIN's network from the dangers of hacking.

Even so, Wawan assessed that cyber attacks against his institution were natural. "Considering that BIN continues to work to safeguard the sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia and safeguard the national interests of the Indonesian people," he stressed.

Furthermore, he also said that the public should not easily believe the information circulating and keep checking. "This needs to be done considering that previously there was also a hoax issue of e-HAC data leaks," said Wawan. Previously, the Insikt Group report, as quoted by The Record on Sunday, September 12, 2021, reported that BIN and 9 Indonesian government ministries/agencies had been infiltrated by hackers. or hackers who are said to be from China.

Mustang Panda, according to Insikt Group, has started burglary activities since April 2021. They detected the PlugX malware command and control (C&C) server operated by the Mustang Panda group, communicating with hosts on the Indonesian government network.

"These communications were later traced back to at least March. The point of intrusion and the method of delivery of the malware remains unclear," the Insikt Group report said.

Insikt Group researchers have notified Indonesian authorities about the infiltration in June-July 2021. However, Insikt Group said no official from the country has responded to the report.

BIN, the most sensitive target in the case, also did not respond to comments sent by The Record in July and August 2021.