Malaysia faces shortfall of some 12,000 cybersecurity personnel, says PM

CYBERJAYA: The nation has a shortfall of some 12,000 cybersecurity personnel to help fight the growing threat of cyber attacks, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

The Prime Minister revealed this when launching the Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence (CCoE) in collaboration with Blackberry to fortify cybersecurity and ensure the country's data sovereignty.

"We commend Blackberry for helping to upskill our next generation of cyber-defenders, accelerating our goal to bolster national and regional security and innovation.

"Malaysia has a shortfall of 12,000 cybersecurity professionals.

"We need 25,000 workers in cybersecurity by 2025," he said in his speech when launching the CCoE here on Tuesday (March 26).

Anwar described the establishment of the CCoE as a milestone in creating a robust cybersecurity ecosystem while forging stronger partnerships between the public and private sectors.

"Through this strategic collaboration, we not only stimulate economic advancement and prosperity but also bolster the resilience of our cybersecurity infrastructure against the risks that pervade the digital landscape by keeping the nation’s data, conversations, and citizens safe," he said.

On the nation's 5G rollout, Anwar said that as of February 2024, Malaysia had reached 80.3% coverage in populated areas, and Internet coverage had reached 97.07% in populated areas.

He said communications connectivity will continue to catalyse digital transformation in the country, particularly in the manufacturing, health care, warehousing and agriculture sectors.

The Prime Minister also took the opportunity to congratulate the graduation of the first cohort of upskilled cyber defenders trained by the SANS Institute and BlackBerry.

Meanwhile, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said the establishment of the CCoE was the realisation of the agreement between Malaysia and Canada during the Apec gathering in San Francisco last November.

He said the centre will begin with entry-level training and introduce professional cybersecurity training for professionals by next year.