Malaysia calls for regional cooperation in combating cybercrime

Illustrative image (Photo: https://www.astroawani.com/)

Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Malaysian Minister of Home Affairs Hamzah Zainudin on March 29 called for cooperation at the regional and national level to effectively combat cybercrime.

Speaking at a conference in the framework of the Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2022 and the National Security Conference Asia (NATSEC) 2022, Hamzahs said such cooperation will not only help improve the efficiency in handling cyberattacks directed at the region, but also strengthen the relationship among the ASEAN member countries.

He spotlighted cooperation efforts in the region, including initiatives of stakeholders gathering representatives from all relevant cybersecurity institutions and government agencies with those from the private sectors to perform cyber test drills at national levels.

In his book launched at the event, the official also warned that cyber threats and online scams were increasing at alarming rates, accounting for nearly 70 percent of commercial crime cases reported in the Southeast Asian country.

According to the Malaysian police, cyber crams caused economic losses of 2.23 billion ringgit (530 million USD) between 2017 and June 2021./.