Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim stressed the government’s significant focus on cybersecurity threats, particularly regarding information leakage, cybercrime, technological vulnerabilities, and hacktivism.
He highlighted the detrimental impact of these threats on individuals’ well-being, national infrastructure, businesses, and the economy, according to Bernama.
He mentioned that individuals involved in cybercrime persistently look for vulnerabilities in systems, applications, or technology to advance their objectives and secure financial gains.
As of October 2023, 2,674 cyber incidents had been reported to the National Cyber Coordination and Command Centre (NC4) under the National Cyber Security Agency (NACSA).
Anwar identified ransomware and Advanced Persistent Threats (APT) as serious concerns, particularly from parties with geopolitical agendas. The widespread use of digital technology has increased the risk of complex cyber attacks, such as phishing and Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks.
Globally, in 2021, there were 9.75 million DDoS attacks reported by the European Commission, and an organisation faced a ransomware attack every 11 seconds.
Anwar highlighted the business impact, citing European Commission research that 57% of small and medium-scale enterprises would go out of business after a cyber attack, with Germany estimating a cost of EUR220 billion (~RM1.12 trillion) related to cyber attacks in 2020.
Anwar drew attention to the effectiveness of cyber attacks in achieving military objectives, citing the conflict in Ukraine. In response to these challenges, the government launched the Malaysia Cyber Security Strategy (MCSS) 2020-2024, focusing on five pillars, 12 strategies, and 35 action plans to create a secure and resilient cyber environment while promoting economic prosperity.
Initiatives include the formulation of the Cybersecurity Bill, capacity building for cybersecurity professionals, and strengthening public-private cooperation and international relations.
Furthermore, Anwar underscored the government’s commitment to using information and communication technology for national development, acknowledging cybersecurity as a crucial challenge in advancing digital economic progress.
He highlighted the cyber domain as a new frontier for national security, emphasising the need to address cyber threats from state and non-state actors through strategic measures.
