Indonesian schoolboy earns NASA recognition for security find

SEMARANG, Indonesia (MNTV) — An Indonesian elementary school student has received official recognition from NASA after identifying and responsibly disclosing a security flaw in one of the agency’s public systems, the Jakarta Globe reported.

Ibrahim Al Abrar, a student at SD Negeri 3 Genengsari in Boyolali, Central Java, was awarded a Letter of Recognition under NASA’s Vulnerability Disclosure Policy.

The flaw was a “broken link hijacking” issue, in which inactive social media links could be taken over by malicious actors and used for phishing or to spread misinformation under NASA’s name. The agency verified his report after he submitted it through its disclosure program.

Central Java Governor Ahmad Luthfi presented Ibrahim with a laptop and educational supplies, calling him proof that globally competitive digital talent can emerge from rural Indonesia.

Asked about his ambitions, Ibrahim said he wants to become a cybersecurity professional.

Ibrahim said it took about six days to validate the flaw, working three to four hours a day, and that he used the AI platform DeepSeek to help identify it. He learned coding largely through self-study — online resources, video tutorials, and virtual communities — with guidance from his father, a computer teacher. 

He had previously flagged a vulnerability in the Lampung provincial government’s website. He has also received a scholarship from an Islamic junior high school in Surakarta.