KUALA LUMPUR July 15 2011 — A total of 7,404 cyber security cases were handled by CyberSecurity Malaysia’s Cyber999 Security Incident Help Centre during the first half of this year, compared to 2,991 incidents reported in first half of 2010. CyberSecurity Malaysia chief executive officer Datuk Husin Jazri said the number of incidents jumped significantly compared to last year, with an increase of 147 per cent. "The increase of cyber security incidents in Malaysia is closely related to the increase of Internet usage in the country. At present, Malaysia has more than 17 million Internet users and the number is growing due to the support from the robust development of broadband infrastructure. Efforts should be made to increase cyber security awareness among Internet users in Malaysia, and we at CyberSecurity will continue to play our role by conducting awareness programs, offering cyber security services, as well as collaborating with various organisations to ensure that the goal is achieved.” he said.
Husin made these comments here today at a media briefing on the cyber security scenario in Malaysia at Wisma Bernama. He noted that in the first six months of 2011, all cyber security incidents categories have recorded a significant increase, with fraud related incidents leading the list, followed by spam, intrusion attempts and others. "Phishing, that is a way of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication, showed the highest recorded cases in fraud related incidents. As fraud becomes more significant, particularly phishing related incidents, CyberSecurity has taken the initiative by developing a plug-in known as ”DontPhishMe” to provide protection against Internet banking threats, particularly from phishing. It has received commendable and respected views from the industry and the public. The current version, 1.6.0, is now available to the public at large, having passed thorough reviews by Mozilla and Google.” he said.
The Cyber999 Help Centre, a one-stop public service centre mainly for Internet users to lodge reports on cyber security incidents, has recorded 22,208 cyber security related incidents since 2002, he said.
Husin said CyberSecurity and the industry would continue to collaborate with partners such as Microsoft to improve security, privacy and also to increase the public’s awareness. "A combined effort helps to protect the broader online community from the threats propagating today and develop more secure software solutions to prevent criminals from reaping the benefits.” he said.
At the same media briefing, Microsoft Malaysia national technology officer Dr Dzaharudin Mansor said Internet users in the country must know the correct way to secure their computer's data and software. "You need to keep all the software on your system updated, run anti-virus software from trusted vendors, avoid pirated software from sites you are not sure of, and ensure the use of strong passwords.” he said.
— BERNAMA
