The Ministry of Communications and Digital is currently examining the necessity of establishing the position of a data protection officer within organisations by amending the Personal Data Protection Act (Act 709) to ensure the safeguarding of individual personal data.
Minister Fahmi Fadzil disclosed that this consideration is part of the amendments being made to the Act, which are anticipated to be presented in Parliament as early as this upcoming October, according to Bernama.
He said they are currently focusing on the requirement for a data protection officer, as organisational data protection holds significant importance. This concern was also raised by Tan Sri Dr Zulkifeli Mohd Zin, the Chairman of the Board of Directors at CyberSecurity Malaysia (CSM).
He added that their evaluation highlights the necessity for data protection. However, this is all subject to feedback from stakeholders and approval from the Cabinet.
Once granted Cabinet approval, they aim to introduce these amendments in either October at the earliest or by March of the following year.
During his keynote address at the Cyber Digital Services, Defence & Security Asia (CyberDSA) 2023 event at the KLCC, Fahmi highlighted the scarcity of 12,000 cybersecurity professionals in Malaysia, expressing the government’s dedication to enhancing support and pathways for professional cybersecurity education to address this shortage in the industry.
He indicated that the current count of cybersecurity knowledge workers in Malaysia stands at 15,248. However, according to the latest study by the Department of Skills Development (JPK), the Centre for Instructor and Advanced Skill Training (CIAST), and CSM the country will require a minimum of 27,000 cybersecurity knowledge workers by the end of 2025.
Fahmi said that the shortage is not just in terms of technical expertise but also in possessing creativity and a comprehensive comprehension of both technology and human behaviour.
Furthermore, he noted that the ISC Squared (ISC2) Cybersecurity Workforce Study 2022 revealed a global deficit of 3.4 million cybersecurity knowledge workers at present.
Other than that, Fahmi has announced that the Cybersecurity Bill is projected to be introduced in Parliament either by the end of this year or at the start of the following year, according to a report by The Star.
He clarified that the National Cyber Security Agency (NACSA) operating under the National Security Council (MKN) is presently in the process of formulating the Bill.
Fahmi explained that the progression of tabling the Bill is in motion and NACSA is working on finalising the draft. He highlighted that the draft will be presented to the Cabinet for approval before its public release.
