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Defending Indonesia's digital backbone and subscriber data

Telecommunications

Indonesia's major telcos serve over 370 million mobile connections. They form the backbone of the digital economy. They are also high-value targets. SIM swap fraud, signaling attacks, DDoS campaigns, and subscriber data theft threaten operations daily. The 5G rollout is widening the attack surface. Alpha Code provides cybersecurity built for telcos. We cover network infrastructure, subscriber data protection, and Kominfo compliance.

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Telecommunications: Defending Indonesia's digital backbone and subscriber data

370M+

Mobile connections secured across Indonesian telcos

12,000+

SIM swap fraud cases reported annually

45%

Increase in telecom-targeted DDoS attacks year-over-year

IDR 1T+

Annual telco investment in cybersecurity infrastructure

SECURITY CONTEXT

What telco operators need to know

SIGNALLING RISK

SS7 vulnerabilities are actively exploited in Indonesia

SS7 signalling networks and Diameter protocol implementations in Indonesian 4G/5G infrastructure carry known vulnerabilities. Attackers use them for subscriber tracking, call interception, and SMS redirection. SS7 attacks on SMS-delivered OTPs appear in documented financial fraud cases against Indonesian banking customers.

AUTHENTICATION ROLE

Telco security underpins the national authentication chain

Indonesian banks, e-commerce platforms, and government services often rely on SMS OTP as a second factor. The telco that delivers that message becomes part of their authentication chain. A failure at the telco layer, through SS7 exploitation or SIM-swap fraud, compromises every service that trusts SMS for authentication.

BREACH PATTERNS

Unpatched systems and excess data retention drive incidents

Major Indonesian telco data breaches share a clear pattern. They involve unpatched internet-facing systems and data kept beyond business need. They also involve weak access controls on customer databases. In response, Kominfo now requires telcos to run annual security assessments and keep incident response plans.

Threat Landscape

Understanding the risks

Key cybersecurity threats facing organizations in this sector.

01

SIM Swap Fraud & Subscriber Identity Attacks

SIM swap fraud lets attackers hijack mobile numbers. They use this for OTP interception, banking fraud, and identity theft. Indonesian telcos face growing pressure from regulators and banks to set up stronger prevention controls.

02

Network Infrastructure & SS7/Diameter Attacks

Legacy SS7 and newer Diameter interfaces sit in 4G/5G networks. They expose telcos to location tracking, call interception, and subscriber data theft. These protocol-level attacks can compromise an entire subscriber base.

03

DDoS Attacks Targeting Network Availability

Telcos face massive DDoS attacks. These hit DNS infrastructure, IP transit networks, and customer portals. Volumetric attacks over hundreds of Gbps can degrade service for millions of subscribers and enterprise customers.

04

5G & Edge Computing Security Risks

5G deployments across Indonesia add new attack surfaces. These come from network slicing, multi-access edge computing, and virtualized network functions. Cloud-native 5G core architectures need different security approaches than legacy network elements.

Regulatory Compliance

Stay compliant, stay protected

Key regulatory frameworks and standards your organization needs to meet.

Kominfo

PP 71/2019 & PR 82/2022

Government Regulation on Electronic System Operation

Telecom operators must run information security management systems. They must conduct regular security audits and set up incident response. They must register electronic systems with Kominfo. The rule adds data localization for strategic electronic systems.

Kominfo

Kominfo Telecom Regulations

Ministry of Communication & IT Telecommunications Security Standards

Kominfo sets telecom-specific security rules. These include lawful interception and subscriber data protection standards. They also cover spam and fraud prevention. They set network resilience rules for critical telecommunications infrastructure.

UU PDP

UU 27/2022 (UU PDP)

Undang-Undang Pelindungan Data Pribadi

Telecommunications operators that process subscriber personal data must follow UU PDP rules. These cover purpose limitation, data minimization, and subscriber consent management. They require 72-hour breach notification for incidents that affect customer data.

Our Solutions

How we protect your organization

Tailored cybersecurity solutions mapped to your industry's specific needs.

Case Study

Major Indonesian Telco Reduces SIM Swap Fraud by 94% and Secures 5G Rollout

One of Indonesia's top-3 mobile operators engaged Alpha Code on three goals. First, a targeted fraud detection system for SIM swap attacks. Second, security for its initial 5G core network deployment. Third, an advanced telecom security operations center.

94%

Reduction in successful SIM swap fraud

<10m

Mean time to detect network intrusions

100%

5G core security controls implemented

3x

Improvement in threat detection coverage

Why Alpha Code

Purpose-built for your sector

We understand the regulatory, cultural, and operational realities of your industry.

01

Telecom Protocol Security Expertise

Our team has deep expertise in SS7, Diameter, GTP, and SIP protocol security. We have assessed and hardened signaling networks for Indonesian mobile operators. The team includes former telecom network engineers.

02

5G Security Architecture Specialists

We have secured cloud-native 5G core networks and set up network slice isolation. We have deployed edge computing security controls across leading Indonesian telco deployments.

03

Subscriber-Scale Threat Detection

Our detection runs at telco scale. We process billions of events daily. We spot fraud patterns, signaling attacks, and network anomalies across subscriber bases over 100 million connections.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions

Q

How does Alpha Code address SIM swap fraud for telcos?

We set up multi-layered SIM swap prevention. This includes real-time fraud scoring at point of sale and behavioral analytics for suspicious SIM change patterns. We integrate banking sector fraud feeds and add stronger identity verification workflows. Our approach has cut successful SIM swap attacks by over 90% for Indonesian operators.

Q

What 5G security risks should Indonesian telcos prioritize?

Priority areas are clear. Secure the cloud-native 5G core against container and API attacks. Set up network slice isolation to prevent cross-tenant compromise. Protect multi-access edge computing nodes. Lock down roaming security for 5G standalone networks. We advise a 5G security architecture assessment before commercial launch.

Q

Can you help with Kominfo regulatory compliance for telcos?

Yes. We support compliance with all Kominfo telecommunications security rules. This covers ISMS setup, security audit prep, and incident response capability. It also covers data localization assessment. Our team has direct experience with Kominfo audit processes.

Q

How do you protect subscriber data at telco scale?

We set up data protection programs across subscriber databases, CDR repositories, billing systems, and CRM platforms. This includes data classification and encryption at rest and in transit. It also includes privileged access management. We monitor for unauthorized data access patterns.

Q

What is the telco SOC different from a standard enterprise SOC?

A telecom SOC must process far more data than a standard enterprise SOC. It must correlate events across network infrastructure and IT systems. It must detect telecom-specific threats like signaling attacks. It must see both subscriber-facing and backend operations. We build purpose-fit telecom SOCs with specialized data pipelines, telco threat intelligence, and operator-grade scale.

Ready to secure your organization?

Let's discuss how Alpha Code can help you meet compliance requirements and defend against evolving threats.

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