Brinztech Alert: Data of Ditjen Dukcapil Kemendagri are on Sale

Dark Web News Analysis

A threat actor on a known cybercrime forum is making an alarming claim to be selling real-time API access to a comprehensive database of Indonesian citizen data. The seller alleges that the data originates from Ditjen Dukcapil Kemendagri, Indonesia’s Directorate General of Population and Civil Registration. In a highly sophisticated offering, the actor is not selling a static file but a live service with API endpoints for facial recognition, name-based searches, and NIK (National Identification Number) information retrieval, which purportedly returns sensitive data including photos and mobile numbers. To accelerate adoption, the actor is providing free initial API tokens to forum members, with lifetime access packages priced up to $999.

This claim, if true, represents a national security crisis for Indonesia. The threat actor is effectively attempting to productize a core national identity database, offering it as a “Data-as-a-Service” to the criminal underworld. The ability to perform real-time queries, including facial recognition, would provide criminals, foreign intelligence agencies, and other malicious actors with an unprecedented tool for identity theft, fraud, surveillance, and social engineering on a massive scale.

Key Cybersecurity Insights

This alleged data-as-a-service offering presents a threat of the highest severity:

• National Identity Database as a Criminal Service: The most critical threat is the claim of live, ongoing API access to what should be a secure government database. This transforms a data breach from a one-time theft of static information into a continuous, real-time intelligence and identity verification tool for criminals.
• Advanced Capabilities including Facial Recognition: The alleged inclusion of a facial recognition API is a significant escalation. This would allow any user of the service to potentially identify a person from a photo, track their movements, or use their image to create deepfakes for sophisticated fraud or disinformation campaigns.
• Aggressive Marketing to Maximize Proliferation: The promotional offer of free API tokens is a tactic designed to quickly prove the service’s legitimacy and get it into the hands of as many malicious actors as possible. This strategy ensures that the potential damage from the breach will be both rapid and widespread.

Mitigation Strategies

In response to a claim of this magnitude, the Indonesian government must take immediate and decisive action:

• Launch an Immediate National Emergency Investigation: This claim must be treated as a national cybersecurity emergency. A full-scale investigation, led by Indonesia’s national cyber and intelligence agencies, is required to urgently verify the claim, identify the point of compromise, and take immediate action to shut down any unauthorized API access.
• Issue a Widespread Public Alert: The government should issue a clear and unambiguous public warning to all Indonesian citizens. The population must be made aware that their NIK, biometric data, and other PII may be compromised and should be advised to be extremely cautious of any entity using this information for verification.
• Conduct a Complete Overhaul of Government API Security: If this claim is even partially true, it represents a catastrophic failure of public sector IT security. A mandatory, top-to-bottom security audit and overhaul of all government APIs—especially those handling sensitive citizen data—is essential to prevent a recurrence.

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