Cyber security awareness master plan to be ready in 2023, says NSC

PUTRAJAYA: The cyber security awareness master plan is expected to be completed next year as the primary reference in the implementation of cyber security awareness programmes at the national level, says the National Security Council (NSC).

Its director-general Datuk Rodzi Md Saad said the NSC and the National Cyber Security Agency (NACSA) are still gathering views and facts to produce a guideline for all quarters on methods that can be standardised to improve cyber security in the country.

"We will expedite this matter because this (cyber security) agenda is currently the main priority of the country,” he told reporters after launching the Malaysian ICT Security Officers Convention 2022 here.

Rodzi said the NACSA monitoring found that most cyber incidents were caused by a lack of awareness at the user level, especially using weak passwords that can be hacked easily.

He said the government views seriously the issue of cyber threats in the country, especially concerning information leakage, cybercrimes, technology vulnerability and hacktivism.

He said it threatens the well-being of individuals, the stability of the country and businesses’ critical infrastructure, as well as damages the reputation of organisations and causes the loss of money.

"Cyber threats that are increasing and complex are capable of paralysing government services. This issue is severe and should be addressed by all quarters.

"This involves the awareness and responsibility of all levels of society and organisations to defend and protect the country from cyber threats and crimes to create a safe cyber environment,” he said.

Commenting on the alleged theft of civil servants’ data from the “ePenyata Gaji” system, Rodzi said the investigation is still being carried out by NACSA and teams from various other agencies.

"The relevant agencies are still carrying out investigations to determine whether or not the allegation is true. Only then, will they make a statement about it,” he said.

The media previously reported that a group of “grey hat” hackers claimed that they had hacked into the ePenyata Gaji system to show that there are loopholes in the system.

On Sept 18, Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa said the government had found a lead regarding the alleged data theft, and a statement will be issued by NACSA soon.

NACSA chief executive officer Rahamzan Hashim said the agency was in the midst of improving the existing cyber security circular to adapt to the latest risks and technological developments.

He said there was an increase in cyber security incidents, with 5,575 cases reported in 2021 compared with 4,194 incidents in 2020, and a total of 4,682 cases have been reported so far this year. - Bernama