KOTA KINABALU, SABAH – Deputy Chief and Industrial Development Minister, Datuk Dr Joachim Gunsalam, represented Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Haji Noor at the launching of the Cyber Defence & Security Exhibition and Conference 2021 (CYDES 2021) held virtually from Putrajya today.
Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muyhiddin Yassin, who officiated the event, said cyber security has become one of the Government’s main focus areas to complement its efforts in accelerating the economic growth of this country.
He said in February this year, the Government launched the MyDigital, aimed at encouraging all Malaysians to embrace digitalisation and seize opportunities to improve the standard of living.
“MyDigital is a national initiative, which symbolises the aspirations of the Government to successfully transform Malaysia into a digitally-driven, high income nation and a regional leader in the digital economy…
“To ensure the success of MyDigital, the National Cyber Security Agency (NACSA), has been given the responsibility to be the lead agency to coordinate and set the standard of all cyber security initiatives under the six clusters of MyDigital.
“This is a reflection of the Government’s seriousness and deep commitment to improve national resilience in safeguarding our cyber environment. I believe that not only Malaysia but all other nations across the world should take this matter seriously,” said the Premier.
Muhyiddin said all the action plans under the Malaysia Cyber Security Strategy 2020 – 2024 (MCSS 2020 – 2024) will be aligned with the MyDigital initiatives as key elements to achieve the vision of building a secured, trusted and resilient cyber space.
Through MCSS, he said, the Government will fortify local capabilities to predict, detect, deter and respond to cyber threats by strengthening our cybersecurity governance, nurturing competent people, supporting best practice processes and deploying effective technologies.
“MCSS has also outlined 113 programmes under its 35 action plans, of which one of them is to organise biennial international conferences and exhibitions, also known as CYDES,” he said.
The objective of CYDES is to gather all cybersecurity experts to share their best practices and latest available technologies and updates, he said, adding it is hoped that this conference will enable all to fight cyber crimes together, better.
“In the face of the increasing cyber threats, all of us must work together in sharing our experiences, knowledge and new technologies,” he said.
In 2019, the number of cyber incidents reported stood at 3,787 and by 2020, the incidences spiralled to a worrying 10 percent to 4,194. This year, the number is expected to surge further as can be seen in the first quarter of this year alone where 1,300 cyber incidents have been reported.
Cyber crimes have also shown an upward trend. According to the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) statistics, in 2019, the number of cyber crimes reported was 11,875 cases, with RM498 million in terms of losses. Last year, the number of cases increased to 14,229, with total losses of RM413 million.
In the first quarter of this year, the number of cases reported was 4,327 and the losses involved were RM 77 million.
“Although for the past three years, the amount of losses associated with cyber crimes seems to be declining, a worrying fact is that the number of cases continues to surge. This only proves that cyber crimes have indeed become a problem that warrants our serious attention,” said the Prime Minister.
CYDES will include ASEAN Cybersecurity Forum, 12 MCSS Track Sessions, Cyber Podium, Policy Dialogues, Virtual Exhibitions, Memorandum and Letter of Understanding Signing Ceremonies and discussions involving 30 nations with a total of 2,500 participants.
