Poor cybersecurity is a top concern in Malaysia, with many organisations vulnerable to cyberthreats such as malware, phishing and ransomware. Kroll’s survey found that Malaysia has experienced more cyberattacks than any other country in the APAC region.
The top 15 cyber attacks in Malaysia include malware attack, attack via phishing, man-in-the-middle attack, password attack, and SQL injection attack. In an effort to beef up the nation’s cyber security, the government needs to step things up.
The Star reports that the Communications and Digital Minister, Fahmi Fadzil, announced that the government aims to establish the Malaysian Cyber Security Commission to improve cyber security in the country.
He stated that the ministry will collaborate with agencies such as CyberSecurity Malaysia (CSM) to establish the commission.
Fahmi also mentioned that there will be amendments proposed for the ministry’s agencies, including the Personal Data Protection Department (JPDP), National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas), and Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), during the upcoming Dewan Rakyat session starting on 13 February.
He emphasized the importance of securing data and the need for JPDP and CSM to be strengthened.
Besides that, Fahmi also announced that Malaysia and Singapore will discuss holding annual Malaysia-Singapore round table discussions on cyber security to improve cyber security in both countries.
The bilateral meeting will also cover several subjects in the memorandums of understanding (MoUs) signed between the two countries, particularly in regards to cyber security, personal data protection, and the digital economy.
The minister also mentioned that they will investigate closer cooperation between the agencies of both countries, including the MCMC and its counterpart in Singapore, as well as CSM and the cyber security authority in Singapore, to jointly tackle cyber security problems.
