Fortinet: Cyber Threats to Indonesia's Critical Infrastructure Accelerating, Organisations Must Strengthen Digital Resilience

Cyber threats against critical infrastructure in Indonesia are increasing in line with the acceleration of digital transformation, which is driving integration between information technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT) systems across various industrial sectors. According to Fortinet Indonesia Country Director Edwin Lim, the convergence of IT and OT indeed opens significant opportunities for organisations to improve operational efficiency through real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and automation. However, this condition also expands the attack surface that can be exploited by cyber threat actors. “The more industrial systems that are connected, the greater the need for organisations to ensure that digital transformation goes hand in hand with strengthening cyber security. Critical infrastructure not only supports business activities, but also essential services that have a direct impact on society,” said Edwin. He explained that the current cyber threat landscape is evolving much faster than a few years ago. Threat actors are now leveraging automation and artificial intelligence (AI) to increase the speed, scale, and effectiveness of attacks. Critical infrastructure such as manufacturing facilities, energy grids, transportation systems, and public services are prime targets because the disruption caused can affect organisational operations while triggering a chain reaction on supply chains and economic activity. Edwin revealed that the reconnaissance process can now be carried out automatically to identify exposed assets, map networks, and determine priority targets in a matter of minutes. After gaining initial access, threat actors can move quickly within interconnected environments, shortening the time between penetration and operational impact. To face these conditions, organisations are deemed to need to build comprehensive visibility over all their assets and operational environments. According to Edwin, many OT environments still lack comprehensive visibility of connected devices, inter-system communication patterns, and dependencies within the network. “Good visibility enables organisations to understand operational conditions thoroughly so they can take faster and more precise action when anomalies or potential threats occur,” he said. Besides visibility, network segmentation remains an important step in strengthening defences. By separating operational environments and limiting unnecessary connectivity, organisations can reduce the opportunity for threat actors to move laterally within the network. Fortinet also highlighted the importance of identity management and implementing a Zero Trust approach amid the increasing number of devices, industrial applications, and automation processes connected to the network. This approach allows organisations to continuously verify user, device, and application access. On the other hand, AI technology is considered capable of helping security teams accelerate threat detection and response. AI can analyse large amounts of network and operational data in real-time to identify patterns and anomalies that are difficult to detect manually. Nevertheless, Edwin stressed that technology alone is not enough. Closer collaboration between IT and OT teams is necessary so that organisations have shared visibility, coordinated processes, and integrated incident response. According to him, cyber security has now evolved from merely a technical issue into a strategic business necessity. “The challenge facing organisations today is not just how to prevent every attack, but how to build visibility, intelligence, and resilience that allows them to continue operating with confidence amidst an ever-evolving digital landscape,” said Edwin. Fortinet assesses that strengthening cyber resilience is a critical factor to support the continuity of public services, maintain economic stability, and ensure that Indonesia’s digital transformation can proceed safely and sustainably.