Indonesian hackers attacking Indian govt websites major concern: Experts

Cyber-security researchers on Friday expressed concerns after the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a cybersecurity alert that an Indonesian hacker group is planning to target hundreds of state and central government portals.

"There have been reports that state and federal government websites may be targeted" by an Indonesian "hacktivista organisation, according to a cybersecurity notice issued by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), a division of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

According to the notice, the Indonesian cyber attack group is purportedly targeting 1,200 government websites in the country.

Ashish Tandon, Founder and CEO, Indusface, said that the massive wave of attacks launched by Indonesian hackers is a major cause of concern for the central and state governments.

"While we are rapidly advancing down the path of digital transformation, there is still a major lack of attention given to cybersecurity aspects. DoS and DDoS attacks are among the largest attack types as they are easy to mount and can be crippling in effect," Tandon said in a statement.

On-premises tools and website hosting, as is the case with most government departments, are inadequate to counter these threats.

"While these might have worked a decade or two back, today, even hackers are using advanced cloud-based AI tech to launch attacks. It is time that the government focuses on shifting its digital infrastructure to the cloud," he advised.

According to the I4C alert, the Indonesian hacktivist organisation has also issued a list of government websites that it claims to be targeting.

In 2022, the Indian government registered 19 ransomware attacks on various government websites.

Last year, a massive ransomware attack disrupted the systems at the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), crippling its centralised records and other hospital services.