BSSN equips healthcare facilities with cyber knowledge to safeguard medical services

The National Cyber and Crypto Agency (BSSN) is equipping healthcare facility staff responsible for digital systems with cyber knowledge to create and realise digital security for health services in Indonesia. This training comes as the digitalisation of electronic medical records becomes increasingly widespread in national healthcare facilities, meaning the systems must be reliable and standardised to protect patient data confidentiality in line with existing regulations. “Disruptions to information technology systems in hospitals are no longer just ordinary administrative incidents, but real threats that can directly impact patient safety,” said BSSN Deputy for Government and Human Development Cyber and Crypto Security Sulistyo in a statement confirmed in Jakarta on Thursday. The training was packaged as a two-day seminar and workshop on 8-9 July at the University of Indonesia Teaching Hospital (RSP UI), themed “Fortifying the Digital Hospital: National Standard-Based Cyber Security Strategy towards Indonesian Health Service Transformation”. One way to prevent vulnerabilities in each healthcare facility’s system to such data is by using original digital applications. This was emphasised considering BSSN findings that 56 per cent of anomalies in the health sector are currently dominated by malware resulting from negligence in using pirated software. The formation of a Cyber Incident Response Team (TTIS) by the digital system managers of healthcare facilities is also necessary so that system vulnerabilities can be easily addressed. BSSN even stated its readiness to facilitate comprehensive technical guidance for health institutions that have established a TTIS, so that the digital systems of healthcare facilities can work optimally when encountering cyber vulnerabilities. RSP UI President Director Dr Ari Kusuma Januarto appreciated the strategic collaboration with BSSN as a concrete government step to support medical institutions in facing future technological challenges. “As a teaching hospital that prioritises innovation and patient safety, we are aware that medical data is a sensitive asset. IT system integration must go hand in hand with national standard-based security protocols to ensure the continuity of medical services without interruption,” he said. Education on the best protection strategies and full compliance with national regulatory standards was discussed in the workshop to guarantee the ongoing confidentiality of patient data. In more detail, the urgency of cyber security regulations in the health sector also received special attention in the workshop. The existence of strong regulations does not merely serve as a sheet for legal compliance, but acts as a legal foundation that establishes encryption standardisation, data access restrictions, and the formulation of uniform incident response protocols. Without firm and binding regulations, system vulnerabilities in one healthcare facility could become an entry point that massively threatens the integrity of the national health data network. Not stopping at a single training moment, BSSN invited the entire national health ecosystem to continue strengthening information security governance to create a resilient, trustworthy, and sovereign Indonesian digital space.