RM398.6mil lost to cyber crimes
Published on: Friday, October 04, 2019
By: Anthea Peter
KOTA KINABALU: Cyber security across Malaysia is in a critical state and there is a need for government and private agencies to improve cyber safety measures in their respective organisations.
State Education and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr Yusof Yacob (pic) said according to the Royal Malaysian Police statistics, 10,753 cyber crime reports were lodged in 2018 involving a total loss of RM398.6 million.
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He said the Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) stated in a report released in July this year that there were more than 10,000 cyber-attacks on companies and individuals throughout the country last year.
The data was recorded by the Malaysia Computer Emergency Response Team under CyberSecurity Malaysia.
“These clearly show that problems relating to Information and Communications Technology (ICT) safety all over the country are very critical,” he said when launching the 12th Sabah ICT Seminar (Semit) with the theme “Digital Security:
How Safe is Safe?” here, Thursday. His speech was read by his Assistant Minister Mohammad Mohmarin.
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“The situation today is not the same as 10 or 20 years ago. Technological advancement increases ICT security problems because the technology used by these irresponsible people has become sophisticated enough for cyber crime.
“I urge all government agencies and the private sector to take drastic steps to curb this problem by conducting ICT security awareness campaigns,” he said.
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Yusof added that careful planning for the best use of ICT security applications and tools must be done.
He said it would improve government agencies’ efficiency, provide on par service to customers and avoid loss caused by cyber crime.
“It is everyone’s responsibility, especially the Chief Information Officer (CIO) in all government agencies and the private sector, to plan for the security needs in their respective ICT departments,” he said.
Earlier, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Taufiq Yap Yun Hin said Semit was aimed at raising awareness among government agencies on a “Digital Government” and measures to improve ICT safety in its service networks.
“In the aspect of safety, indirectly all Internet security issues we face today will continue and may become even more challenging.
“Therefore, this issue of ICT security and the cyber world is an important one and we must always be on the alert for any possibility.
“The theme chosen (for Semit) this time is significant and very timely,” he said in his welcoming speech read by his representative Prof Dr Abdullah Gani.
Meanwhile, during the event, UMS officially launched its new Smart Chatbot named “KUKURO”, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Technology created to aid the university’s IT and Communications (JTMK)’s helpdesk.
It will help to improve the helpdesk’s services by answering frequently asked questions (FAQ) or inquiries from customers in a more efficient manner.
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