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At a time when almost everything we do is connected to the Internet, Malaysia needs better protection in the virtual world.
Malaysia will need an additional 6,000 cyber security personnel over the next three years to deal with the growing number of online attacks.
As of September this year, we have 14,240 cyber security personnel trained by Cyber-Security Malaysia, the country’s national cyber security agency.
But this is still not enough as Malaysia needs 20,000 cyber security trained workers by 2025 – meaning we need another 5,760 workers.
“Today’s cyber security talent is still insufficient to meet the needs of the industry,” CyberSecurity Malaysia chief executive officer Datuk Dr Amiruddin Abdul Wahab said in an interview.
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“This includes the gap between student quality and industry expectations. This is due to the fact that most students learn theory, not practical experience.”
Skills in demand here include data protection, risk management and others, he adds.
“Most organizations are investing their training budget in upskilling their employees in these areas to meet current and future cyber security threats.
“Organizations must ensure the security of their assets and strive to minimize the downtime of their services should they face any crisis,” he explains.
The need for additional cybersecurity experts is driven by the large number of online threats today.
This year through September, the agency reported 6,002 cyber security incidents. However, since 2018, the number of cases per year has consistently exceeded 10,000, indicating the need for stronger protections in cyberspace.
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And so it is high time that CyberSecurity Malaysia, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, has plans to expand even further to tackle evolving cybercrimes.
“Malaysian cyber security will expand in terms of workforce, roles and services.
“As Malaysia is committed to cyber security, various national strategies and other initiatives are being developed to address this issue in the country,” says Amirudin.
This includes the efforts of the agency’s help desk, known as MyCert (Malaysia Computer Emergency Response Team), which has been operating since 1997.
Boosting the agency’s capacity, Budget 2023, tabled on Oct 7, saw CyberSecurity Malaysia allocate RM73 million to improve monitoring, detection and forensics capabilities to combat cybercrime. (Since the 15th general election was then called, the party or parties forming the new government would have to resubmit the budget.)
“If the budget is adopted, we will use the funds to build the country’s technical capabilities in the field of cyber security and law enforcement against cybercrime, which is becoming more and more common in the country today,” says Amirudin.
Online fraud is at a five-year high
Malaysia certainly needs to do more to stop its number one cyber crime – fraud.
Internet fraud has consistently topped the list of cybercrimes with the highest number of cases reported over the past five years, says Amirudin.
“These cases usually occur when the victim is defrauded or defrauded financially by criminals,” he says.
Between January and September of this year, MyCert saw 3,922 fraud cases, the bulk – or 65% – of the total 6,002 cyber security cases. This means there have been an average of 15 online scams every day this year.
It doesn’t help that very few users in Malaysia are aware that their data and privacy are being compromised online.
“Almost every person owns at least one digital device. There is more interest in cyber security among the public, but it is focused on e-commerce and social media.
“Users still don’t take security seriously when it comes to protecting their data,” says Amirudin.
It’s easy to expose a person’s privacy online today, but fortunately, the user can still control it, he notes.
“The key word here is ‘user.’ Privacy is set by the users themselves, who decide how much they are willing to sacrifice,” he says, adding that more users should take steps to reduce the risks.
In addition, it is more difficult to stop cybercriminals, as cross-border cyberattacks and criminal activities pose certain legal challenges for countries.
“There is no specific sovereignty that controls cyberspace.
“While many rules and regulations have been enacted, the open and sometimes unregulated nature of the Internet and the insignificance of geographic boundaries have made cyberspace a haven for criminals and their activities,” says Amirudin.
“The public and private sectors must work closely together in all areas to address cyber security as we face a rapidly changing virtual environment today,” Dr Datuk Amiruddin Abdul Wahab.
Step forward
With 25 years of experience in combating cyber attacks since its inception, CyberSecurity Malaysia still has a lot to do in the near future.
Amirudin says the agency will continue to increase efforts to advance the online security industry through innovation, research and development.
“We will continue to build defenses to counter cyber-attacks such as intrusions and hacking that cause data leaks, network system disruptions and threats to Malaysian users,” added Amirudin.
Data breaches are becoming more common, he said, and there are many factors that have led to the rise of such incidents, such as malware or malware attacks.
“Malware like ransomware targets large public organizations and companies that process and store the sensitive information of many users.
“If these systems are compromised with malware, hackers can obtain a lot of information to publish and sell on the dark web,” he explains.
Other factors are mostly due to human error, such as fraud and phishing attacks, where users are tricked into providing sensitive information to gain access to databases.
It is good to note that the agency is also mandated to audit, assess and enforce cyber security standards not only in the public sector but also in industry.
“This is a step forward for organizations in Malaysia to continuously monitor and improve their cyber security capabilities to stay on par with current trends,” says Amirudin.
CyberSecurity Malaysia, which has been accredited by international police cooperation agency Interpol for its contribution to digital forensics, also trains and certifies people through CyberGuru and the Global Ace Scheme.
“We also work closely with tertiary institutions such as Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and Universiti Utara Malaysia to produce fresh graduates who focus on cyber security,” says Amirudin.
Other efforts by the agency to strengthen cybersecurity include conducting programs to educate users about technological and social issues, including the dangers of the Internet.
“No single organization can operate alone in this digital age.
“The public and private sectors must work closely together in all areas to address cybersecurity as we face fast-paced, ever-changing virtual environments today,” he says.
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