From K. Naveen Prabu
GUANGZHOU, Aug 3 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is well prepared to defend against advanced cyber threats targeting government institutions, according to global cybersecurity firm Kaspersky.
Head of Research Centre for Asia-Pacific and Middle East, Turkiye and Africa, Sergey Lozhkin, said Kaspersky has direct visibility into Malaysia’s cyber threat landscape through its local research presence and continues to observe advanced persistent threat (APT) activities targeting the country.
“Malaysia is an interesting situation. We have a researcher in Malaysia, so we have a direct view of what is happening there.
“We see a lot of APT attacks in Malaysia, and the country is doing a good job of protecting its government. Malaysia is much closer to Singapore in terms of government cybersecurity preparedness, and that is good,” he told Bernama on the sidelines of the Kaspersky Cybersecurity Weekend 2026 here today.
APTs are highly sophisticated and targeted cyberattacks, usually carried out by nation-state groups or well-funded hacking organisations, that infiltrate a network and remain undetected for an extended period.
Lozhkin said governments globally face increasing threats from sophisticated state-sponsored cyber actors, warning that no country can afford to neglect investments in cybersecurity capabilities.
“It is hard to prepare against advanced APTs, like nation-state-sponsored attacks. It is hard to protect against them,” he said.
Lozhkin said that some government organisations are simultaneously compromised by multiple APT groups due to insufficient protection, particularly in developing countries where cybersecurity budgets are limited.
“We are living in a world with an unstable political situation, and if governments don’t invest in cybersecurity budgets, people and planning, they will be infected by multiple APTs. Information will be leaked and stolen,” he said.
Lozhkin also said governments should prioritise threat intelligence and cybersecurity awareness across all levels of the public sector, rather than limiting training to information technology (IT) personnel.
“For governments, the two most important things are threat intelligence and education. Government personnel at every level, not just those in cybersecurity or IT, but also in finance, human resources, public relations and other departments, should receive at least basic cybersecurity education,” he said.
Meanwhile, on the Malaysian Armed Forces’ plan to establish a dedicated cyber team, Lozhkin described the move as a positive development that could strengthen the country’s cyber defence capabilities.
“If the Malaysian government had cybersecurity researchers within the government who not only worked in a security operations centre but also conducted security research, hunted for new threats and stayed ahead of attackers, it would be a great development,” he said.
Lozhkin added that developing in-house cybersecurity research capabilities would enable governments to generate their own threat intelligence and better anticipate emerging threats.
“If such a team is established, we would be interested in meeting them, helping them and collaborating with them. It is a great opportunity,” he said.
Last month, it was reported that the Defence Ministry is working to establish a cyber force as the fourth service branch of the Malaysian Armed Forces to address threats posed by modern and cognitive warfare.
-- BERNAMA