KUALA LUMPUR: The National Cyber Security Agency (Nasca) recorded 5,110 cybersecurity incidents from January to September this year, compared with 5,837 incidents last year.
Chief executive Dr Megat Zuhairy Megat Tajuddin said the higher number of incidents recorded last year was largely driven by intrusion attempts and potential attacks, which were detected at an early stage.
He said Nasca's National Cyber Coordination and Command Centre (NC4) had also issued nine alerts and advisories in October and November this year, concerning security vulnerabilities affecting National Critical Information Infrastructure (NCII) entities and government agencies.
"It is important to understand that not all cybersecurity incidents have the same impact, and Nasca's main focus is on incidents which have the potential to disrupt the country's essential services,” he told Bernama here on Monday (Nov 9).
He said the cybersecurity incidents recorded included a ransomware attack on Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd in March 2025, which caused disruptions at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) for more than 10 hours.
Commenting on the viral Live Map & Ranking display, which placed Malaysia among the countries receiving the highest number of cyber attacks, Megat Zuhairy said the figures were based on monitoring through specific cyber security products and platforms, widely used by organisations in Malaysia.
"The sensors installed enable proactive monitoring of detected cyber activities and traffic, providing an overview based on data from these sources.
"Additionally, Malaysia is one of the key data centre hubs globally, and this position means that a large volume of international internet traffic passes through the country, either as a target of cyber attacks, or as a transit route to other destinations,” he said.
Megat Zuhairy said the display did not reflect the overall cyber security situation of a country, as a comprehensive assessment would need to take into account various other factors and data sources.
These include actual cyber security incidents, as detected activities or attempted attacks do not necessarily mean that an organisation has experienced an incident or system breach.
He said there was currently no specific global ranking or report comparing countries, based on actual cyber attack incidents.
However, based on the National Cyber Threat Level (NCTL) assessment, Malaysia's cyber threat level remained moderate, while the country was placed in Tier 1 under the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI).
He added that Malaysia was also preparing for the transition to Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC), to address developments in quantum computing technology.
Megat Zuhairy said individuals were also targets of cyber threats, particularly through the hacking of social media, email and online banking accounts.
He reminded the public to understand the difference between account hacking and online scams, so that appropriate action could be taken if they encountered such situations.
"Hacking occurs when another party gains unauthorised access to an account or system.
"Early warning signs include login notifications from unrecognised devices or locations, passwords being changed without the account owner's knowledge, or messages being sent from one's own account without authorisation.
"Scams, on the other hand, occur when victims are deceived into voluntarily handing over money or information, for example, through calls, messages or fake offers,” he said.
Megat Zuhairy also urged users whose accounts had been compromised to immediately change their passwords, activate multi-factor authentication (MFA) and report the matter to the relevant platform provider.
Victims of scams involving money transfers, meanwhile, should contact their banks and the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) via its hotline at 997.
"Authentic precautionary measures are generally simple and practical, such as activating MFA, keeping devices updated and refraining from sharing personal information.
"The public should also be wary of posts which do not cite clear sources, use an urgent tone, or recommend drastic measures such as withdrawing all their savings,” he said. — Bernama
