Indonesia’s cybersecurity landscape remains in a precarious state, presenting vulnerabilities not only within the digital realm but extending to offline domains as well. Incidents of local cyberattacks stemming from sources like USB drives, CDs, DVDs, and various offline methods continue to be prevalent in the Indonesian context.
A report by Kaspersky, covering the third quarter of 2023, has shed light on the prevalence of offline cyberattacks, accounting for approximately 27% of the total attacks detected on users’ computers, amounting to a staggering 12.9 million attacks. This statistical insight positions Indonesia at the 62nd spot globally, indicating the country’s susceptibility to offline attack vectors.
Interestingly, the realm of online attacks exhibits a comparable magnitude. During the same period, a total of about 7.3 million online attacks were identified, comprising 22.1% of the total cases.
This particular metric positions Indonesia at the 93rd spot in terms of web browsing security, highlighting that, despite the challenges, there has been a reduction in the number of cyberattacks compared to the corresponding period in the previous year.
For reference, the third quarter of 2022 saw 9.4 million online attacks and 14.4 million offline attacks being detected. Notably, these figures denote a significant drop in cyberattacks over the course of a year.
Yeo Siang Tiong, General Manager for Southeast Asia at Kaspersky, urges caution against complacency in the face of diminishing cyberattack trends.
He points out that the ever-evolving landscape of technology brings forth a plethora of potential security risks, including but not limited to artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and a wide array of possibilities stemming from the ongoing process of digitalization. These advancements inherently carry vulnerabilities that necessitate the implementation of robust cybersecurity measures.
Yeo Siang Tiong emphasizes the need for a forward-thinking approach to cybersecurity. He calls upon individuals, corporations, governmental bodies, and all stakeholders within Indonesia to come together and continuously bolster their online defense mechanisms to counter the ever-advancing array of threats in the digital realm.
