Pressing need for international cybersecurity collab - Fahmi

LONDON - There is a pressing need for international collaboration and cooperation to responsibly protect the digital economy of each country and ensure the citizens live in a secure and hygienic cyberspace.

Communications and Digital Minister, Fahmi Fadzil said the cyber domain transcends the geographical boundaries of countries, thus in almost all cybersecurity frameworks, international collaboration will be identified as a pillar or area of concern.

"No entity can work in silo in countering cyber threats. Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility, therefore, there must be a smart collaboration with each other for this purpose,” he said at the London Tech Week (LTW) 2023 closing keynote address yesterday.

Fahmi emphasised that cybersecurity is now an enabler of economic progress and improved living conditions in the digital economy.

It plays a larger role in people’s daily lives as cyber threats are becoming more advanced and sophisticated. Therefore, the next move is to step up the role of technology developers and businesses, the minister explained.

"As responsible technology developers and businesses, they must apply the principle of security-by-design in digital transformation business projects to protect the digital community against malicious threat actors at a minimum acceptable level of cybersecurity standard and deter malicious threat actors from nefarious activities,” he said.

Malaysia is currently mitigating cyber threats through bilateral and multilateral relations and is taking initiatives to be active in the international arena.

The country is also taking steps to address the issue, such as the establishment of the National Cyber Security Agency (Nacsa) and actively hosting the Cyber Defence and Security Asia Expo and Conference in August 2023.

In the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) 2020 Report, Malaysia was ranked fifth with an overall score of 98.06.

Other strategic plans include the Malaysian Cyber Security Strategy (MCSS), MyDigital, CYBER Security Empowerment Programme (SiberKASA) and multiple collaborations at the international level.

There is also an initiative known as CyberSecurity Malaysia Collaboration Programme (CCP), which provides access to CyberSecurity Malaysia, related government entities and other collaborators.

"Malaysia aspires to transform into a digitally driven, high-income nation and a regional leader in the digital economy.

"I foresee that in the near future, a secured and resilient cyberspace ecosystem will foster the nation’s economic growth,” Fahmi said.

The minister is leading Malaysia’s delegation to LTW, which is supported by the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC).

United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and London Mayor Sadiq Khan opened the event at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre on Monday, where more than 30,000 visitors and digital industry players, including startups and investors, are expected to attend which runs until June 16, 2023. - Bernama