Malaysia Must Remain Vigilant Against Threats from Professional Hackers – MCCA

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia must heighten its vigilance against threats posed by professional hacking groups linked to foreign countries that are capable of infiltrating networks and disrupting essential services, said Malaysian Cyber Consumer Association (MCCA) President Siraj Jalil.

He said these groups were not only highly organised but were also allegedly supported or funded by certain parties to carry out large-scale cyberattacks against organisations and other countries.

Among the groups of concern is the Lazarus Group, which has been linked to North Korea and is believed to have been involved in several international hacking incidents, including attacks targeting the financial sector and cryptocurrency exchange platforms.

Siraj said Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) groups linked to Russia and several other countries were also capable of secretly infiltrating organisational systems over extended periods to steal information or disrupt essential services.

Commenting on the National Cybersecurity Threat Level being raised from Low to Moderate, as announced by the National Cyber Security Agency (NACSA), he said the move reflected the government’s proactive approach to strengthening the protection of the nation’s digital infrastructure.

Siraj said Malaysia had an increasingly strong cybersecurity foundation through cooperation among the cybersecurity community, industry and government, alongside the implementation of the Cyber Security Act 2024.

“Malaysia’s cybersecurity is at a good level, and all parties, including the cybersecurity community, industry and government, have consistently enhanced their preparedness to address current threats,” he told Bernama when contacted today.

He said raising the threat level was also a precautionary measure to ensure that all parties were prepared for any eventuality without causing panic among the public in the event of cyber intrusions or disruptions to essential services.

“We must be prepared for any eventuality because threats can come from individuals, certain groups or even countries that use third parties or state-sponsored groups.

“Often, these cyberattacks do not reveal the involvement of the attacking country because they typically use anonymous or unidentified groups to launch attacks against other nations,” he said.

Siraj said cyberattacks had also become part of geopolitical conflicts, with opposing parties using cyberspace to target the infrastructure and systems of rival countries.

In this regard, he said the nation’s digital defence framework, built on integrated coordination, was being actively implemented by NACSA in collaboration with CyberSecurity Malaysia, the Royal Malaysia Police, the Malaysian Armed Forces and the Personal Data Protection Department.

Previously, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said Malaysia could become a target of cyberattacks due to the strength of its digital infrastructure and data centres, as well as the government’s firm stance on several international issues, particularly Palestine and Gaza.

BERNAMA