PETALING JAYA: Malaysia must adopt a proactive approach to protecting its digital infrastructure instead of being reactive to problems that arise, say cybersecurity professionals.
They pointed out that the number of cyberattacks in the country has been steadily rising over the past four years.
Asked about the case of Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) being attacked by hackers who demanded a US$10mil ransom, head of the Laboratory of Computational Sciences and Mathematical Physics at Universiti Putra Malaysia Azree Shahrel Ahmad Nazri said the breach exposed vulnerabilities in the country’s digital defences.
He added that the case highlighted an urgent need to act before a threat happens.
“Currently, Malaysia relies on reactive measures, responding to cyber incidents after they occur, rather than proactive artificial intelligence-based threat detection,” he said when contacted yesterday.
Azree said the attackers likely used phishing, ransomware and zero-day exploits, and took advantage of weak network security to infiltrate MAHB’s systems.
“A single deceptive email could have tricked an employee into revealing credentials, giving hackers access to critical systems,” he explained.
He said misconfigured firewalls or unsecured cloud storage could also have served as entry points.
To prevent such incidents, Azree called for the adoption of AI-powered solutions.
He recommended AI-driven email security systems to detect phishing, ransomware detection tools like Darktrace, and vulnerability assessment platforms to identify and fix weaknesses before they are exploited.
He also called for the implementation of AI-powered firewalls, zero-trust architecture and AI-based intrusion detection systems across critical infrastructure.
“Countries like Singapore and the United States are already using proactive AI frameworks,” he said, adding that Malaysia risks falling behind without similar measures.
Public-private partnerships are also crucial for real-time threat intelligence sharing, he added.
“Cybersecurity is no longer just about firewalls and passwords. It’s about intelligent systems, trained professionals and a national commitment to staying ahead,” Azree added.
Cybersecurity specialist Fong Choong Fook explained that ransomware attacks do not happen overnight, and that systems are often compromised long before the ransom demand is made.
“Typically, hackers don’t deploy ransomware immediately. Once it’s detected, the company brings in experts, which risks exposing the hackers’ methods.
“When we see a ransomware case, it’s safe to say the system has been compromised for weeks, months or even years beforehand,” said the LGMS Berhad executive chairman.
Fong said the key to preventing such attacks lies in proactive security assessments.
He explained that after a ransomware attack, specialists often discover prior breaches.
“People tend to overlook computer virus infection, in which they think installing an antivirus solves everything.
“But hackers usually install a backdoor to maintain access,” he said.
He cited an example in which a government agency was hacked and even after the issue was resolved, the hackers were able to regain access and record the agency’s online meetings.
According to Fong, hackers no longer distinguish between targets.
With the use of automated tools, anyone with an online identity, whether from the public or private sector, is at risk.
Fong also stressed that the government must treat cybersecurity as a potential national disaster if proactive measures are not taken.
“So far, the government has been very pro-digitalisation but when it comes to cybersecurity, they tend to leave it to the IT sector.
“But cybersecurity is a niche, specialised field that requires expert handling,” he added.
