KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 — The government has been urged to consolidate all cyber security industry players before finalising the policy on the streamlining of the national cyber security ecosystem.
Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) director Wan Murdani Wan Mohamad, for one, expressed hope for the policy to provide enough intervention and support for the talents in the cyber security industry to be developed by providing more programmes and encouraging university students to take cyber security courses.
He suggested that, from their perspective, for the policy to provide enough space for the local companies to grow, it can do so by identifying the critical sectors and challenges which can be addressed.
“Once it becomes a national challenge then the company can try to develop a solution through support from the government,” he told Bernama at the Cyber Defence and Security Exhibition and Conference (CYDES) 2023, earlier today.
During the event, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in his opening speech announced that policy decisions on the streamlining of the national cyber security ecosystem will be discussed and finalised in the Cabinet meeting next week.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof read out the speech text on behalf of Anwar.
Anwar added that although digital transformation has helped the country in overcoming the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, its exponential evolution has also increased cyber risks and amplified its impact.
Cyber security is often neglected and not given enough consideration, despite Malaysia’s ongoing efforts in digital transformation.
Meanwhile, CyberSecurity Malaysia (CSM) chief executive officer Datuk Amirudin Abdul Wahab suggested the national cyber security ecosystem policy should be reviewed and amended periodically, as technology and cyber threats continuously change and evolve.
“This will prepare Malaysia against cyber threats, manage risks, and reduce the number of threats and cyber-attacks in the country. Apart from that, it can increase the capabilities and strengthen the laws of the cyber security ecosystem,” he said.
In order to ensure that organisations comply with the regulations, monitoring and auditing activities, especially those involving critical national sectors need to be included in the relevant act.
“This is to help organisations identify cyber security needs and gaps through global guidelines and standards and also for relevant parties to ensure compliance and carry out regular and effective enforcement,” Amirudin explained.
He also suggested introducing and enforcing certification on digital products to ensure a product has cyber security features which are recognised, in accordance with best practices and international guidelines to help determine that digital products are safe to use and not easily compromised.
— Bernama
