RM1.8bil national cybersecurity strategy launched

KUALA LUMPUR: The government has launched the Malaysia Cyber Security Strategy (MCSS) 2020-2024 with an allocation of RM1.8bil to step up national cybersecurity preparedness.

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (pic) said the Communications and Multimedia Ministry and the National Cyber Security Agency would be tasked with formulating, implementing, monitoring and coordinating the medium-term action plan.

He said the strategy was drafted based on five pillars and that the thrust of the cybersecurity mechanism was to face any form of cyberattacks.

“The first pillar enhances the management of national governance and cybersecurity by improving the country’s critical information and communication technology infrastructure, as well as raising the ability to deal with cybersecurity issues effectively.

“In this regard, the National Cyber Security Committee has been established and I have appointed Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob as chairman, ” he said in his opening speech for MCSS 2020-2024 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre yesterday, which was read by Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah.

Muhyiddin said the second pillar was to strengthen the enforcement of existing cybersecurity laws by reviewing related legislation and formulating laws on cybersecurity.

He added that the third pillar was empowering innovation and world standard technology in cybersecurity and the fourth was to improve development capacity as well as cybersecurity skilled manpower.

“The fifth is to enhance international cooperation by activating regional and international cooperation to protect national cyberspace, ” he said.

He noted that national cybersecurity would continue to be a priority for national defence and security.

He also said the initiatives were timely, especially with the increasing number of cybercrimes during the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said during the movement control order, the National Cyber Control and Command Centre succeeded in detecting and containing several cyberattacks on certain agencies. — Bernama