Cyber threats to Malaysia now extend beyond data theft to daily disruption, Nacsa says

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 10 — Cybercriminals are increasingly shifting their focus beyond mere data theft to disrupting people’s daily lives through attacks on physical systems and operational technology (OT).

National Cyber Security Agency (Nacsa) Chief Executive Dr Megat Zuhairy Megat Tajuddin said Malaysia was not exempt from this threat, particularly attacks targeting industrial control systems in the healthcare, energy, water supply and supply chain sectors.

Citing recent incidents in Europe, he said breaches that crippled supermarket operations and blood bank refrigeration systems demonstrated how a new generation of cyberattacks was deliberately designed to disrupt essential public services.

He said the situation had become more challenging with advances in artificial intelligence (AI), which enabled cybercriminals to launch automated and simultaneous intrusions against multiple organisations.

“This capability has increased the scale, speed and intensity of cyberattacks worldwide, and Malaysia, like other countries, is not exempt from the risk of facing similar modus operandi,” he told Bernama.

He explained that OT systems in these strategic sectors were highly vulnerable to attacks if connected directly to the internet without adequate protection.

In this regard, he said Nacsa urged National Critical Information Infrastructure (NCII) entities to isolate critical operational systems from external networks, while ensuring that their service continuity plans were regularly updated.

“No system is completely immune to attacks, but preparedness and the ability to recover quickly can reduce the impact of an incident on the public,” he said.

From a legal perspective, Megat Zuhairy stressed that the Cyber Security Act 2024 (Act 854) required NCII entities to comply with stringent security practices to ensure the resilience of their respective service systems.

For organisations that are not classified as NCII entities, Nacsa has issued the Cyber Security Threat Preparedness and Handling Guidelines as a reference to enhance preparedness, early detection, threat response and service continuity.

Commenting on the National Security Council’s (MKN) decision to raise the National Cyber Threat Level (NCTL) from Low to Moderate on Nov 4, he explained that the move was a proactive precautionary measure and did not mean the country was experiencing a cyber security crisis.

The move was followed by instructions to all sector leads and NCII entities to strengthen monitoring and submit regular weekly reports to Nacsa, even in the absence of any incidents.

“The increase in the NCTL to Moderate is a precautionary measure to enhance preparedness in advance, and not an indication that the country is facing a cyber security crisis.

“Cyber security is a shared responsibility, and everyone can contribute by adopting proper security practices and refraining from spreading unverified information,” he said.

To strengthen future defences, he said priority should be given to rapid threat intelligence sharing between the government and industry, local talent development and technology-assisted monitoring, including the use of AI.

He said regular training and incident simulation exercises were also important, while the establishment of the Cyber Security and Cryptology Development Centre (CSCDC) under Nacsa would further strengthen the country’s expertise and technological capabilities in cyber security. — Bernama