Indonesia’s tax agency is investigating claims that data from millions of taxpayers, including President Joko Widodo and his ministers, have been leaked online.
"Our technical team is currently conducting a deep dive,” spokeperson Dwi Astuti said in a text message on Sept 19.
Posts on the social media platform X on Sept18 said about six million tax identification numbers were being sold on hacking website BreachForums for 150mil rupiah (RM41,565 or US$10,000). Allegedly included in the leak are data on President Jokowi, his son and Vice-President-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka, as well as Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and other Cabinet members.
Among those reporting the alleged hack are Teguh Aprianto, a cybersecurity consultant and founder of Ethical Hacker Indonesia.
South-East Asia’s largest economy has long been grappling with cybersecurity concerns. In June, it suffered its largest cyberattack yet when a hack on national data centers affected more than 280 agencies and crippled government services from immigration to scholarships. – Bloomberg