PETALING JAYA: The Prime Minister has instructed the National Cyber Security Agency (Nacsa) and the National Security Council (NSC) to work closely with Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) following the recent cyberattack.
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s senior press secretary Tunku Nashrul Abaidah said the Prime Minister is urging all parties not to spread unverified information and instead rely on official sources for the latest updates on the incident.
“The incident shows the importance of ensuring that local capabilities who handle cybersecurity incidents be at their best level.
“The capacity and competence of local experts must continue to be strengthened so that dependence on foreign parties in managing the country’s critical systems is minimised.
“The collaboration between government agencies and industry players must be well coordinated to ensure the nation’s critical infrastructure remains highly secure against any threats,” said Tunku Nashrul during the Prime Minister’s Office briefing yesterday.
“The level of readiness among local experts in dealing with any cyber security incident will continue to be a priority for the government.”
On March 25, Anwar said MAHB faced a cyberattack from hackers who demanded US$10mil.
He said the government had refused to comply with the demand and, instead, plan to allocate more funds to strengthen Malaysia’s cybersecurity systems.
In a joint statement, Nacsa and MAHB said the attack targeted certain computer systems at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, but its operations were not affected.
They stated that the attack was detected on March 23, prompting an immediate investigation.
Meanwhile, Anwar will continue the Madani Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration in several states including Melaka (April 5), Selangor (April 6), Pahang (April 11), Kelantan and Penang (April 12), Sarawak (April 19), Perak (April 25) and Perlis (April 27).
The Federal Government and the respective states will be joint hosts of the celebration.
“This event presents an important platform for everyone to ease the race and religious tensions and being respectful while celebrating the differences,” said Tunku Nashrul.
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