Unify industry players before finalising cybersecurity policy, MDEC tells govt

KUALA LUMPUR – The government has been urged to strengthen all cybersecurity industry players before finalising the policy on the streamlining of the national cybersecurity ecosystem.

Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) digital enablers director Wan Murdani Wan Mohamad, for one, expressed hope for the policy to provide enough intervention and support for the talents in the cybersecurity industry to be developed.

This, he said, could be done by providing more programmes for and encouraging university students to take cybersecurity courses.

He suggested that for the policy to provide enough space for the local companies to grow, critical sectors and challenges that can be addressed must be identified.

“Once it becomes a national challenge, then the company can try to develop a solution through support from the government,” he said when met at The Cyber Defence & Security Exhibition and Conference (CYDES) 2023 here today.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in his opening speech at CYDES 2023, read out by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, announced that policy decisions on the streamlining of the national cybersecurity ecosystem will be discussed and finalised in the cabinet meeting next week.

Anwar also said 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.

The prime minister also said cybersecurity is often neglected and not given enough consideration despite Malaysia’s ongoing efforts in digital transformation.

Meanwhile, CyberSecurity Malaysia chief executive officer Datuk Amirudin Abdul Wahab suggested that the national cybersecurity 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 cybersecurity ecosystem,” he said.

He added that 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 cybersecurity needs and gaps through global guidelines and standards and also for relevant parties to ensure compliance and carry out regular and effective enforcement,” he explained.

He also suggested introducing and enforcing certification on digital products to ensure that a product has cybersecurity features that 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, July 10, 2023