KUALA LUMPUR: Building the people’s confidence to encourage the use of digital services is as essential as beefing up cybersecurity, says Gobind Singh Deo.
The Digital Minister said that with digitalisation reshaping almost every aspect of life across the country, the public must have trust in digital platforms and be comfortable using them.
Gobind said public trust can be built when people understand the risks of using digital devices, with such knowledge being conveyed in simple and accessible language.
He said that with the transformation digitalisation brings, Malaysians should be prepared for the changes with the right tools and knowledge.
Gobind said the ministry, together with other agencies, is drafting a framework called “digital trust and data safety strategy” to enhance cybersecurity and build public trust.
“We hope to push out this initiative by the end of this year, and it will run between next year and 2030. If we look at conversations on the subject of cybersecurity, examples in simple language are usually the best way for people to learn.
“This way, they will understand the risks involved in the usage of their digital devices, and they will take steps to ensure their safety in cyberspace. We will continue to see breaches in cybersecurity as we move towards digitalisation, but importantly, for more than a year, we have developed governance and legislation with other agencies to deal swiftly with such issues and minimise the risks.
“This shows that while the government anticipates such issues, it is also taking steps to address them with stronger governance structures,” he said after launching the Defence and Security Asia Exhibition and Conference (CyberDSA 2025) here yesterday.
Gobind said AI-driven attacks, supply chain vulnerabilities, threats to operational technology and critical infrastructure are no longer distant concerns but are real and evolving risks that can impact national security, economic stability and public confidence.
Cybersecurity Malaysia chairman Al-Ishsal Ishak said cyber resilience goes beyond defence.
“It is about adapting, recovering and maintaining confidence in our systems, institutions and society even when we are under attack. It requires not only technology but also governance, accountability, and oversight that move in step with innovation.
“Digital trust gives confidence to society that their personal data is secure, their online transactions are reliable and the services they rely on, whether education, healthcare or public services, are safe. Without trust, innovation stalls, investments hesitate and the digital economy will falter,” he said.
Al-Ishsal said Cybersecurity Malaysia has so far trained 18,764 personnel across critical domains in various areas such as digital forensics, governance, risk and compliance, incident handling and response, cryptography and security assurance.
“Through hands-on training programmes, we truly believe that investing in human capital remains a cornerstone of our mission to build a safer and resilient digital nation,” he said.
