KUALA LUMPUR, March 23 — Nearly 800,000 attempts of cyberattack were recorded during a five-year period, from 2017 to 2021, based on Cyber Security Malaysia (CSM) statistics.
Communications and Digital (KKD) Deputy Minister Teo Nie Ching said these attempts (of cyberattack) are widespread in the country and is a worrying situation as it involves losses to the nation and the people.
“For example in January and February this year, each month we received more than 1,700 cases of complaints involving scam calls, and according to the National Scam Response Center (NSRC) this involved a loss of RM27 million.
“Due to this, we see an increase in the allocation to the CSM from RM9 million in 2022 to RM23 million this year, and RM10 million to the NSRC,” she said when winding up the ministry’s debate on the Supply Bill 2023 at the committee level in Dewan Rakyat today.
Meanwhile, Teo also said the ministry requested more allocations for the Film In Malaysia Incentive (FIMI) as a government effort to attract investors in film activities in the country.
She said this was because the allocation provided this year was lower, amounting to RM25 million compared to the commitment payment this year, which amounts to RM75.5 million covering 39 projects.
Meanwhile, Teo insisted that the ministry was not involved in stopping the live broadcast of Tan Sri Shahidan Kassim’s (PN-Arau) debate on the TikTok application yesterday.
Teo described Shahidan’s accusations regarding the matter as irresponsible.
“KKD is not involved… TikTok is not a company established in Malaysia or under KKD and it will not simply listen to KKD’s instructions,” she said.
Shahidan then got up and explained that he was not accusing but simply asking for an explanation from the ministry.
The Dewan Rakyat then approved an allocation of RM991,449,100 for KKD under Budget 2023 at the committee level through a majority vote.
