MALAYSIA'S CYBERSECURITY CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE TO BE INTERNATIONAL DESTINATION TO ADDRESS EMERGING CYBER THREATS - ANWAR

CYBERJAYA, March 26 (Bernama) -- Malaysia’s Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence (CCoE) has the potential to be an international destination to address emerging cyber threats, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

He said the centre, which was launched today, could bring together Malaysian and Canadian universities, research institutions and skilled practitioners to share knowledge, threat intelligence and jointly develop methods and strategies to strengthen national and regional cyber-resilience.

“CCoE is a milestone in our journey towards creating a robust cybersecurity ecosystem, necessitating strong partnerships across the public and private sectors.

bootstrap slideshow

“We can collaborate to develop plans that encourage information sharing and expertise exchange between government agencies, and other stakeholders including sharing actionable threat intelligence towards a more secure digital environment,” he said in his speech after officiating at the CCoE today, collaborating with Blackberry Ltd.

Today’s event continued the long-term software services agreement signed between the Canadian software company and Malaysia during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Summit in San Francisco in November last year.

Also present at today’s event were Canadian Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development, Mary Ng, Minister of Communications Fahmi Fadzil, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission chairman Tan Sri Mohamad Salim Fateh Din and BlackBerry chief executive officer John J. Giamatteo.

Anwar commended Blackberry for helping Malaysia to upskill its next generation of cyber-defenders, accelerating its goal to bolster national and regional security and innovation.

He reiterated that Malaysia has a shortfall of 12,000 cybersecurity professionals, saying it needs 25,000 workers in cybersecurity by 2025.

“We envision this centre as a capacity-building hub for the Southeast Asian region, with a specific focus on enhancing threat intelligence sharing, and fostering regional cooperation in mitigating cybersecurity threats and combating cybercrime.

“Forging international partnerships, specifically those harnessing advanced technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, assumes importance in the positive growth of our economy's trajectory.

“Through this strategic collaboration, we not only stimulate economic advancement and prosperity but also bolster the resilience of our cybersecurity infrastructure against the risks that pervade the digital landscape, by keeping the nation’s data, conversations and citizens safe,” he said.

As of February 2024, the 5G rollout in Malaysia has reached 80.3 per cent coverage in populated areas and Internet coverage has reached 97.07 per cent in populated areas respectively in Malaysia.

Meanwhile, Mary Ng said in her speech that in this digital age, the global need for innovative cybersecurity solutions continues to grow.

“I’m pleased that Canada’s expertise in this area is helping to create a safer cyberspace in Malaysia.

“Today’s announcement by BlackBerry is a clear example of how Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy is supporting efforts to reduce and address security threats in the region,” she said.

-- BERNAMA