TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The Mind Cipher ransomware group, believed to be from Japanese Europe, adopted by way of on their promise to offer the decryption key without spending a dime for Indonesia’s Short-term Nationwide Information Heart (PDNS) to the Ministry of Communication and Info (Kominfo) on July 3, 2024. This act got here alongside an apology to the Indonesian public for the disruption brought on by the ransomware assault.
The decryption key was introduced on a darkish web site and reposted on social media by X @FalconFeedsio round 8:27 pm Jakarta time (WIB).
The gang defined their resolution to forgo a ransom demand. After the June twentieth assault, they initially requested US$8 million or Rp131 billion to revive PDNS entry.
The group emphasised that they launched the important thing independently, with out exterior affect or cost, together with from the Indonesian authorities. They painting themself as a unified staff with no inner disagreements relating to the choice to cancel the ransom, searching for solely voluntary donations.
Hackers’ First and Final Act
The gang declared this a one-time motion, stating they will not repeat such assaults. “We aren’t haggling,” their announcement reads.
They claimed that the assault uncovered weak cyber defenses on the PDNS server. They argued that knowledge facilities, by nature, require important funding in safety measures, which they allege PDNS Indonesia lacked. “It took us little or no time to unload the information and encrypt a number of thousand terabytes of knowledge [in PDNS).”
Key Verification
Alfons Tanujaya, a cybersecurity expert from Akuncom, believes that the key is likely genuine and functional for accessing PDNS 2 data. However, he recommends verification through decryption attempts by PDNS personnel. “It should be tried first by those managing PDN,” he said on July 3.
Threats to Kominfo
The gang concluded its announcement with a wait-and-see approach. They requested official confirmation from Kominfo regarding the key’s functionality and data recovery success. They promised to delete the stolen data upon such confirmation permanently. However, they threaten to publicize the data if Kominfo claims independent data recovery or uses third-party assistance.
“If the second party says that they have restored the data on their own or with the help of third parties, we will publish the data,” the gang said.
As of this publication, the Kominfo Ministry has not yet responded to the Brain Cipher ransomware group’s latest announcements or threats. However, reports suggest a press conference scheduled for Thursday morning.
ALIF ILHAM FAJRIADI
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