An academician has hailed the series of public-private collaborations among industry players across various sectors in the digital sphere, especially cybersecurity.
Professor Dr Ainuddin Wahib Abdul Wahab, whose areas of expertise include cybersecurity and digital forensics, stressed that the outcomes of those collaborations must be made public, and in a timely fashion.
Beyond the public-private partnerships, he said end users must constantly be aware of cyber threats, especially on their mobile devices, as “humans are often the weakest link” in the digital world.
“Collaborations are good as we need to look at real-world issues. We need to identify what those issues are, and why the public and private sectors need to work together,” said Ainuddin, an academician at Universiti Malaya in Kuala Lumpur.
“So, when we have Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), we want to know what happens next. A timeline (should be set), say about four months, (to know) what is going on with the MoU.”
On July 29, Digital Nasional Berhad and CyberSecurity Malaysia signed a Collaboration Agreement to strengthen Malaysia’s digital landscape. The partnership would also see the establishment of a 5G Cyber Security Testing Centre, as well as the exchange of threat intelligence between the two entities, to further strengthen the nation’s cyber defensive capabilities.
On July 30, the National Cyber Security Agency (NACSA) inked MoUs with AwanBiru Technology Berhad, Malaysian Technical Standards Forum Berhad, and the National ICT Association of Malaysia.
More possible tie-ups could emerge between the public and private sectors in the cyber defence and security industry, as Kuala Lumpur hosts CyberDSA on Aug 6-8.
Ainuddin said it would be unfair to solely rely on government agencies such as CSM and the NACSA to tackle cyber threats in Malaysia.
“The burden shouldn’t just be on CSM and NACSA. Where will these agencies get their case studies from? Obviously from the private sector and the end users when a report is lodged.
“When government agencies work together with different parties, especially from the private sector, looking at different issues, the end objectives and results become more complete. At the end of the day, every party has a role to play (in safeguarding digital assets).”
He added this would help decision-makers come up with effective policies and regulations related to cyber security.
Ainuddin said that awareness and training among consumers are also important when it comes to dealing with cyber threats.
“Those who are often exploited are the end users. Advanced technology will see hackers utilising advanced tools while cybersecurity vendors continue working on advanced systems to curb the hackers. So that’s technology versus technology.
“But people will try to exploit the weakest link, which is us, humans.
“We need to ask ourselves, how many of us think about installing anti-virus protection on our devices? As I tell my students all the time, we use our phones for everything, including banking, but how secure are our mobile phones? Do we take steps to protect them? It starts with us,” he added.
