JOHOR BARU: Online scams are getting rampant, with 7,651 cases recorded involving losses worth RM332mil between January and March this year, says CyberSecurity Malaysia (CSM).

Its board chairman Jen (Rtd) Tan Sri Dr Zulkifeli Mohd Zin said as such, there is an urgent need for the Cyber Security Bill 2024 to be implemented to protect people and beef up the authorities.“In these cases, not only does it lead to substantial financial losses for the country, but it also causes emotional stress and depression for the victims.

“The CSM Cyber Incident Response Centre, Cyber999, had also received reports of 1,555 cybersecurity incidents from Internet users within the same period this year.

“The majority of these reports, or 66% of the total, were related to online fraud,” he said when met after the launch of the state-level National Anti-Scam Tour 2024 and the Wifi Premium Maju Johor at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Skudai here yesterday.Zulkifeli added that cyber threat is expected to get bigger, which is why the country must be ready.

“What is important is that the government and authorities can take the necessary legal action once the Bill has been implemented; we need the Bill quickly,” he added.

Zulkifeli also said initiatives like the National Anti-Scam Tours (JASK) have been introduced to raise awareness and empower communities against various online scam threats.

He added that JASK aims at educating the public, particularly local communities, about digital technology and cyberthreats.

“The programme provides insights into current cyberthreat trends, strategies to tackle online fraud, and best practices to avoid falling victim to cybercrimes.

“It is crucial to consistently intensify awareness programmes to reach all segments of society and prevent more Malaysians from falling prey to scammers,” he added.

He said CSM’s JASK was organised in six states last year, and the initiative is expected to be extended to all states nationwide this year.

On April 3, the Dewan Negara passed the Cyber Security Bill 2024.

On the programme, Johor education and information committee chairman Aznan Tamin said a total of RM1.9mil has been allocated to set up 63 hotspot locations for Wifi Premium Maju Johor starting July this year.

He said the facilities are expected to benefit around 200,000 people every month, with a minimum speed capacity between one and two Gigabits per second (Gbps).

“This is one of our digitisation efforts that was announced by Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi during last year’s budget announcement, where RM1.9mil was allocated.

“The project is an upgrade from the previous Johor Wifi initiative, and we expect to expand the project next year to other facilities,” he said.

Asked whether the project will be installed in schools, Aznan said there is a high-speed Internet connectivity project under the Education Ministry that has been provided in all education facilities.

“We will do so if needed, but for now, our focus is on hospitals, pharmacies and crowded areas such as the Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine Complex (CIQ) Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI),” he said.

Some of the 63 hotspots are located at Kolej Yayasan Pelajaran Johor, Hospital Sultanah Aminah, Hospital Sultan Ismail, people’s housing projects, Kulai Land Office and the Johor Baru Land Office.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/05/06/urgent-need-for-cyber-security-bill-to-be-implemented