Cybersecurity threats in Malaysia on the rise: official

Cybersecurity threats in Malaysia have increased in terms of frequency and severity of attacks, said Communications and Digital Deputy Minister Teo Nie Ching.

Last year alone, she said the country experienced a number of serious cyber attacks including ransomware attacks, cyber espionage attempts, data leaks and cyber scams.

Based on the statistics from Cyber Security Malaysia (CSM), Malaysia reported 4,741 cases of cyber threats last year, while this year, 456 fraud cases were recorded as of February 2023.

The National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) received a total of 3,482 genuine calls recording losses of 27 million RM (1.23 million USD) for January and February this year alone, she said after launching #BeCyberSmart, a cybersecurity campaign and Protect 360, an all-in-one network security solution application, on March 17.

The campaign will feature various initiatives including engagements to reach out to citizens and promote cybersecurity best practices and promote Protect 360 complete security, privacy and identity protection on devices as well as protection against malware, phishing and hacking attempts.

To implement cybersecurity initiatives, Malaysia has earmarked 10 million RM from the 2023 budget to upgrade equipment and start a campaign to raise awareness as well as promote the NSRC's 997 hotlines./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

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