Country’s Chief Communication Head said it is important to establish the Chief Information Security Officer position within every ministry to effectively address the issue of data breaches following recent incidents such as the breach of the Social Security Organisation (Perkeso) database.
Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil added the responsibility for this change lies with the Chief Secretary, chief executive officers, and the highest echelons of ministries while citing cyber threats as a challenge and that the government must safeguard the security of ministries’ data in light of evolving cyber risks.
In addition, he said numerous modules within ministries’ websites require enhancement or renewal, necessitating the formulation of a specific plan at the ministry level.
“We are witnessing a rise in the ingenuity and sophistication of hackers’ techniques and there is a growing concern that they might leverage artificial intelligence (AI) technology to breach, hack, and illicitly obtain our data.
“I perceive a significant challenge in the realm of cybersecurity,” he said.
Meanwhile, Fahmi said the government plans to set up 186 new digital economy centres (PEDi) next year, including in each state constituency aimed to bolster initiatives fostering entrepreneurship among the people, including in rural areass
This comes after the Perkeso the Social Security Organisation was hacked and had data of individuals taken, the agency under the Human Resources has since then vowed to get to the bottom of the incident including filing a police report.
