KOTA KINABALU: The government must take proactive steps, including strengthening national cybersecurity defences, amid growing concerns over cyber threats in Malaysia.
The Malaysia National Consumers Foundation (Sabah Chapter) chairman David Chan said that while threats like these were concerning and must be taken seriously, panic must never become a greater problem than the threat itself.
“Malaysia must adopt a comprehensive, multilayered cybersecurity defence system, including advanced firewalls, intrusion detection systems, continuous security monitoring, regular software updates, secure backup systems and emergency recovery procedures,” he said.
Chan said it was vital to protect the people’s savings and financial security by making Bank Negara and all financial institutions strengthen fraud detection, transaction verification, emergency account protection and recovery mechanisms.
“The hard-earned money of Malaysians must be safeguarded. The government should also establish clear procedures to assist innocent consumers who suffer financial losses arising from verified cybersecurity breaches,” he said.
Chan also advised the public not to panic buy because it could create artificial shortages of essential food items.
“If every household suddenly purchases excessive quantities of rice, cooking oil, sugar, flour and other necessities, supermarket shelves may become temporarily empty, creating unnecessary anxiety and opportunities for price manipulation.
“Such behaviour would disproportionately disadvantage low-income families, senior citizens and vulnerable communities. It is necessary to establish emergency contingency plans for essential services even if digital systems were disrupted,” he added.
