Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo issued a presidential regulation on May 23 officially recognizing the National Cyber Agency, which will be tasked with consolidating cybersecurity measures across state institutions in the country.

The regulation, signed by Jokowi on May 19, comes more than a year after the government first initiated the agency.

However, the state body remained stagnant over the past year due to a lack of a presidential decree granting the agency operational status, even amid growing cyber-vulnerability concerns across the archipelago and beyond.

In addition, the agency's director, who will serve immediately under Chief Security Minister Wiranto, has yet to be appointed.

The new agency will be tasked with coordinating cybersecurity initiatives between the Ministry of Communications and Information, the Ministry of Defense, the National Police, the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), among other state bodies.

"The National Cyber Agency will utilize, develop and consolidate all matters related to this country's cybersecurity," the presidential regulation stated.

Calls for the immediate commencement of operations at the National Cyber Agency reemerged last month after a ransomware cyber-attack affected government and private sector networks in countries across the globe.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/govt-issues-decree-kick-start-operations-national-cyber-agency/