KUCHING: Learning about cybersecurity and digital privacy is everyone’s responsibility, stressed Datuk Dr Husin Jazri, senior vice president for cybersecurity at Serba Dinamik Group Berhad.
He said that while many Malaysians were aware of basic cybersecurity details, this was insufficient as cybercriminals were constantly getting savvier and digital platforms were rapidly developing.
This, he said, opened up new opportunities for exploitation.
“Cybercriminals can take advantage of current issues such as the Covid-19 pandemic, social unrest, and the high unemployment rate to manipulate people as well,” he said.
“As responsible internet users, we must keep ourselves abreast of current news, threats, and the tactics and techniques used by cybercriminals to trick us,” he said, adding that people should be vigilant and cautious especially when it came to interactions with strangers over the phone or internet.
He said people should exercise caution in order to prevent their families or businesses from falling victim to cyberattacks.
He gave the example that phishing attacks could expose an entire organisation to a cyberattack simply by tricking a person into clicking on a link, message, or email.
At the same time, Husin said businesses should try to implement measures to prevent cyberattacks, adding that they should also have a good understanding of their network and system infrastructure in order to be prepared should a cyberattack take place.
He emphasised that businesses must also be mindful of digital privacy and put in place measures to protect their customers’ information, especially with the Personal Data Protection Act which came into effect in 2013.
“Some of these technologies are not cheap, especially for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). But that is not an excuse for not abiding by the law,” he said.
He said one way for businesses to strengthen their network and system infrastructure was to segregate important and less important data, incorporating encryption solutions and
passwords to safeguard the important information.
He stressed that cybersecurity and digital privacy should be a continuous learning process.
“It should be a goal for businesses to achieve global standards in cybersecurity and data privacy,” said Husin.
He said employers should get involved in cybersecurity and digital privacy meet-ups, events, or while also encouraging their employees to attend such events.
In addition, he urged businesses to build rapport with cybersecurity service providers in their respective areas.
