Govt Mulls Quantum Tech Policy To Bolster Cyber Resilience - Gobind

PETALING JAYA, Aug 12 (Bernama) -- The Digital Ministry plans to formulate a policy on quantum technology (tech) to further strengthen personal data protection, said Minister Gobind Singh Deo. 

He said the ministry is also looking at data holistically to improve cyberinfrastructure’s resilience, thus preparing the nation to face the new technology. 

Quantum tech that can handle data encryption in under five minutes compared to years using normal computers will pose a new challenge for the national cyber security sector, Bernama reported last week. 

It stated that while the technology is able to speed up computing, it can also be used to break encrypted data contained in applications like WhatsApp in just a few minutes. 

“We will come up with something, hopefully by the end of this year, and currently works are in progress,” he told a media conference today. 

As cyber threats grow nationally and globally, Gobind also expressed hope that the Cyber Security Act, which was gazetted on June 26, can be enforced this month. 

He said enforcement of the Act is necessary to enable the country to step up national cybersecurity readiness and defence, building resilience in cyberinfrastructure. 

“I think at the end of the day, it is important to note that it sends a very clear signal, not just here in our country and our region but also across the globe, that we are serious about cybersecurity,” he added. 

He said between 2021 to April 2024, a total of 95,837 cybercriminal victims in the country suffered a loss of RM3.18 billion.

“It is also likely the figures could be higher as many victims do not report to the authorities for various reasons.

“It is imperative for the nation to crack down cybercrimes that are able to inflict serious damages for profit or political gains,” he said.

Earlier, Gobind witnessed two memoranda of understanding (MoUs) inked between Axiata Group Bhd, CyberSecurity Malaysia and the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation to jointly cooperate on cybersecurity. 

Under the MoUs, the three parties agreed to promote digital transformation, innovation in cybersecurity and resource sharing to identify cyber threats and collaborate to promote the development of international norms and standards in cybersecurity.

Among the areas of cybersecurity collaboration are joint consultations and cyber risk assessments involving collaborative reviews, combating malicious activities, addressing cross-border incidents, and sharing best practices in cybersecurity governance and risk management.

They also agreed to share intelligence and expertise in threat detection to increase the effectiveness of incident response and create a mutual platform to exchange insights and expertise vital to cybersecurity professional talent development programmes. 

-- BERNAMA