Indonesian Boy Discovers NASA Security Vulnerability

A sixth-grade student from Boyolali, Central Java, Ibrahim Al Abrar, has drawn public attention after successfully discovering a security vulnerability in a public domain belonging to the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Ibra managed to find the security flaw, a broken link hijacking, after studying cyber security. He reported his finding through NASA’s Vulnerability Disclosure Policy (VDP) programme and it was successfully verified. After several submissions, Ibra’s finding was finally verified and he received a certificate of appreciation from NASA as recognition for his contribution in helping to improve the security of the agency’s systems. “He received the certificate after finding a vulnerability on a NASA website. He found a broken link hijacking and reported it through the VDP. He had submitted it almost two months ago,” said Aminudin, Ibra’s father. Ibra is a student at SDN 3 Genengsari in the Kemusu district. His father explained that Ibra’s interest in technology began with his love of playing games. With parental support, Ibra taught himself coding to create games. Over the past six months, he has been delving into cyber security through YouTube, artificial intelligence, and various online learning resources. Ibra aspires to become a professional in the cyber security field. Aminudin hopes this achievement will motivate his son to continue learning and inspire other children to utilise technology to develop skills in information and cyber security. “As a parent, my hope is that this is just the beginning. I hope he becomes more enthusiastic after receiving the certificate of appreciation from NASA. Perhaps in the future he can get a bug bounty, to further boost his spirit. Because if he wants to become a professional in cyber security, that is the direction of his career,” Aminudin hoped.