Rahmat Hidayat – At least eight online news outlets affiliated with Promedia Group were targeted by distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks over the past week, with several incidents appearing to focus on specific articles related to alleged corruption cases, according to company executives.
The affected media outlets include Riausatu.com, Sawitku.id, Jatimnetwork.com, Suara Merdeka Solo, Berita Senator, Kabarindo, Alifnews and Poros Jakarta.
Promedia Group Chief Executive Officer Agus Sulistriyono said the pattern of attacks suggested the incidents may not be ordinary technical disruptions, particularly because some attacks were directed at URLs containing reports on alleged corruption investigations.
"We see a pattern that deserves further examination and may be related to specific news coverage," Agus said in Bandung, Indonesia, on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.
"If there are parties who object to a news report, they should use established press mechanisms, contact the editorial team, exercise their right of reply, or communicate directly with Promedia. Cyberattacks are not an acceptable solution," he added.
According to the company, Promedia oversees information technology infrastructure across media organizations operating within its ecosystem and remains responsible for maintaining platform security and service continuity.
More than 160 million requests recorded
Rahmad Maulana, Information Technology Director at Promedia Group, said the company's systems recorded more than 160 million malicious requests during the seven-day period.
One of the largest attacks targeted Poros Jakarta, which received approximately 32 million requests during a single attack wave on Monday, June 22, 2026.
"A DDoS attack is carried out by overwhelming servers with a massive volume of simultaneous requests," Rahmad said.
"Our team has documented the digital traces of these attacks and continues to implement mitigation measures to ensure media services remain operational."
He said technical evidence had been collected and was undergoing further forensic analysis.
Promedia Group said it is evaluating legal options should the attacks continue.
"Promedia and the affected media owners are considering legal action. We have collected various technical evidence and identified several leads that are currently being examined further," Agus said.
He added that press freedom and the public's right to access information should not be undermined through intimidation or cyberattacks.
"Differences of opinion regarding news coverage should be resolved through available legal and journalistic mechanisms, not through attempts to silence media organizations via cyberattacks," he said.
The company did not publicly identify any individuals or organizations as being responsible for the attacks, and no law enforcement findings have been announced regarding the source of the incidents.