Passport Data Breach Once Again Proves Gov's Careless Cyber Management

The data of 34 million passport holders from the Immigration Directorate General was allegedly leaked and sold for US$10,000 on the bjork.ai website.

Information and Public Communication Director General Usman Kansong said he had coordinated with the National Cyber and Encryption Agency (BSSN) and the Immigration Directorate General to address this issue.

Usman said he had investigated the alleged data breach. “The preliminary results show differences in the data structure between the ones in the National Data Center and the ones in circulation. Our team is still conducting further investigation,” Usman said on Thursday.

Alfons Tanujaya, a cyber security expert, confirmed that the leaked data originated from the Immigration Directorate General, as it contained the National Identity Community Identity Card (NIKIM). NIKIM is a digital identity that is used to secure electronic passports and is only owned by Immigration.

“NIKIM contains personal data such as names, addresses, identity numbers, similar to the chip in the e-KTP,” he said.