Govt systems need to be beefed up against cyberthreats

KUALA LUMPUR: It is important to establish the chief information security officer’s position within every ministry to effectively address the issue of data breaches following recent incidents such as the Socso database breach, says Fahmi Fadzil.

The Communications and Digital Minister said the responsibility for this change lies with the Chief Secretary, chief executive officers, and the highest echelons of ministries.

He added that cyberthreats were a challenge and the government must safeguard the security of ministries’ data in light of evolving cyber risks.

In addition, he said numerous modules within ministries’ websites require enhancement or renewal, necessitating the formulation of a specific plan at the ministry level, Bernama reported.

“We are witnessing a rise in the ingenuity and sophistication of hackers’ techniques and there is a growing concern that they might leverage artificial intelligence technology to breach, hack and illicitly obtain our data.

“I perceive a significant challenge in the realm of cybersecurity,” he said when appearing as a guest on RTM’s Selamat Pagi Malaysia programme yesterday in conjunction with the Madani Government’s One Year anniversary programme.

Meanwhile, Fahmi said the government planned to set up 186 new digital economy centres (PEDi) next year, including in each state constituency, aimed at bolstering initiatives fostering entrepreneurship among the people, including in rural areas.

He also said the focus of his ministry next year would be to ensure that telecommunication companies actively engage and employ a greater number of young individuals equipped with technical and vocational (TVET) skills.

“The Prime Minister has issued a directive for telcos to actively participate in TVET programmes, especially given their extensive involvement in laying fibre-optic cables, presenting an opportunity to engage a large number of young people.

“The Prime Minister, the Cabinet and the government are urging vocational training institutes to support government-related companies and some key enterprises by providing training and subsequently hiring more employees,” he said.