Komdigi Explains Why GitHub Was Blocked for Four Hours

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia — The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) said access to software development service GitHub had returned to normal after a disruption caused by an adjustment to an IP-address block. The measure, intended to restrict access to certain content, also affected the availability of the entire platform.

In a press release, Komdigi said the GitHub block followed a request from a government agency concerning an IP address suspected of being used in malware cyberattacks targeting the agency’s network infrastructure.

The blocked IP address was also used by GitHub, affecting access for users in Indonesia. Komdigi’s technical team quickly restored normal service by removing the address from its blocking system.

Komdigi said public access to GitHub had returned to normal after being disrupted for about four hours.

Why Can One IP Address Take Down an Entire Website?

Many large websites, including GitHub, host numerous services and pages under a single main IP address. Here is why:

• One address for many destinations: A single IP address can host thousands of different pages, projects and files. If one page or folder causes a problem, blocking the IP address cuts off access to everything hosted at that address.

• Cloud systems: GitHub uses centralised infrastructure where users’ projects, whether legitimate or in breach of rules, may share the same range of IP addresses. It is not easy to isolate one page without disrupting access to others.

• Unlike domain names: Website names such as github.com are easy to distinguish, but behind the scenes they can share the same route. Blocking that route cuts off access to everything passing through it.

• Security protection: Large websites often route all traffic through a single defensive gateway so attacks can be monitored centrally. This also makes that gateway a single point of vulnerability: if it is blocked, no one can get through.