National Cyber and Crypto Agency

The BSSN was formed from two preceding agencies, the National Crypto Agency (Lembaga Sandi Negara, lit. 'State Signal Agency', abbreviated as Lemsaneg), and the Cyber Information Defense and Security Desk (Desk Ketahanan dan Keamanan Informasi Cyber Nasional, abbreviated as DK2ICN).

History of the preceding agencies

Lembaga Sandi Negara (Lemsaneg)

Lemsaneg was Indonesia's original primary signal intelligence agency, founded by Lieutenant Colonel (later Major General) Dr. Roebiono Kertopati. Dr Kertopati was a medical doctor assigned to Section B of the Ministry of Defense, Indonesia's intelligence department during the Indonesian National Revolution, and was mainly responsible for strategic intelligence analyses. However, the Minister of Defence at that time, Amir Sjarifuddin, tasked him with building a signal intelligence unit, resulting in Code Service (Dinas Code) being founded on 4 April 1946.

As a medical doctor, Dr Kertopati had no background or formal training in either general intelligence or signal intelligence. However, he completed various crash courses in these pursuits and in 1949, during the Dutch-Indonesian Round Table Conference period, he completed a signal intelligence course with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and developed various cryptography methods. These methods proved useful in making the transmission of encrypted messages and government communications secure during both war and peacetime.

On 2 September 1949, via Ministry of Defense Decree Number (No.) 11/MP/1949, the Code Service was renamed the Crypto Bureau (Djawatan Sandi in the old spelling; Jawatan Sandi in the new spelling), and placed under the Ministry of Defense. On 16 January 1950, via Presidential Decree No. 65/1950, the Crypto Bureau separated from the Ministry of Defense to come directly under the Office of The Prime Minister of Indonesia.

On 22 February 1972, via Presidential Decree No. 7/1972, the Crypto Bureau was renamed the National Crypto Agency (Lembaga Sandi Negara, abbreviated as Lemsaneg), with the name continuing to be used until 2017.

Desk Ketahanan dan Keamanan Informasi Cyber Nasional (DK2ICN)

DK2ICN was created via CMPLSA Decree No. 24/2014 as a coordinating desk under the 7th Deputy (Coordination of Communication, Information, and Apparatuses) of the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs (CMPLSA). It was later renamed in 2016 as the National Cyberspace Desk (Desk Cyberspace Nasional, abbreviated as DCN) under the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs. As a coordinating desk, DK2ICN's members included representatives from the CMPLSA; the Agency of Assessment and Application of Technology (abbreviated as BPPT); the Indonesian Telematic Society (Masyarakat Telematika Indonesia, abbreviated as Mastel); Association of Indonesia Internet Providers (Asosiasi Penyedia Jasa Internet Indonesia, abbreviated as APJII); Indonesian Internet Domain Name Registry (Pengelola Nama Domain Internet Indonesia, abbreviated as PANDI); and other independents.

The predecessor of DK2ICN had been the National Cyber Security Desk (Desk Keamanan Siber Nasional, abbreviated as DKSN), formed under the National Security Council (Dewan Ketahanan Nasional, abbreviated as Wantannas) in 2013. Along with the decree establishing DK2ICN, a future National Cyber Agency to be under Wantannas (Badan Cyber Nasional, abbreviated as BCN) was also proposed. But until this new agency was formed, DK2ICN was still responsible for cyber defence and cyber intelligence. However, President Joko Widodo seemed displeased with the BCN proposal, believing that it lacked the important elements of infrastructure and human resources. Instead of forming a new agency, he chose to upgrade Lemsaneg with its pre-existing infrastructure and readily available human resources, subsequently combined Lemsaneg with DK2ICN to form the new agency, BSSN.

The formation of BSSN

Prior to BSSN's formation, state cyber activities had been carried out by all of the Military Intelligence Agency's Cyber Operations Unit; the national police force (Directorate of Cyber Crime of the Criminal Investigation Agency); the State Intelligence Agency (Deputy VI); the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs (7th Deputy); the Ministry of Defense (Cyber Defense Center); the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (Directorate of Informatics Application Control, Directorate of Information Security, and ID-SIRTII/CC); the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Directorate of Diplomatic Security of General Directorate Public Information and Diplomatics); and each ministry's Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT). Each agency had its own interests and functions, but in addition to protecting their own cyber infrastructure they all contributed to more general security matters.

Presidential Decree No. 53/2017, the constituting document of BSSN, was signed by President Widodo on 19 May 2017. The decree also ordered that the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology's Directorate of Information Security, and ID-SIRTII/CC both be handed to BSSN to provide BSSN with access to state IT infrastructure security and state network protection. However, the decree stipulated that the BSSN become temporarily subordinate to the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs for coordinating purposes. On 16 December 2017, Widodo signed Presidential Decree No.133/2017, which took the BSSN out of the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs so as to be directly under the President.