REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesia's state-owned enterprise specializing in military and commercial products PT Pindad is collaborating with British global defense company BAE Systems to anticipate information technology (IT) crimes and to strengthen national security in the cyber sector.
"Pindad, in collaboration with BAE Systems, has started defense and cybersecurity programs," President Director of Pindad Silmy Karim stated here on Wednesday.
According to Karim, awareness in cyber governance and security is still low in Indonesia due to which the number of crimes, such as hacking is quite high.
He noted that the high number of cybercrimes is influenced by the massive growth in the number of internet users in Indonesia.
Silmy remarked that IT-based crimes could be identified as a non-conventional threat that could affect the sovereignty of a country even if there is no territorial violation as the attack comes from outside the area.
Silmy noted that Pindad had prepared several human resources, some 20-100 people, to strengthen defense and cyber security.
Pindad would embrace hackers to defend the nation's interests, including safeguarding economic and state sovereignty.
According to data obtained from the Indonesia Security Incident Response Team on Internet Infrastructure, there were 48.8 million cyberattacks in 2014.
Silmy affirmed that it was an opportunity for Pindad to work with BAE Systems to maximize the application of dual-use technology to provide IT-based defense.
"We believe cybersecurity has the potential to provide protection and defense to strategic assets and the national economy," he added.