KUALA LUMPUR, May 1 — There are still many Internet users in Malaysia who are naive and indifferent to the importance of cybersecurity until they are deceived and finally become victims of cybercrime, said CyberSecurity Malaysia (CSM) Board of Directors chairman Gen (Rtd) Tan Sri Mohd Azumi Mohamed.
He said such incidents still occurred despite efforts by the government either through reminders or awareness programmes.
As such, he said the integrated cooperation and support of all parties was needed to educate and provide awareness to the people on the importance of cybersecurity.
“In this context, media is one of the most important collaborating agents in spreading information regarding various government measures, initiatives and efforts to enhance the field of national cybersecurity,” he said in his speech at the CyberSafe with the Media programme here yesterday.
CSM is a cybersecurity technical expert under the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia (KKMM).
Yesterday’s programme was aimed at sharing information regarding the field of cybersecurity as well as the latest programmes implemented by CSM so that the media could produce accurate and inclusive writing and reporting.
According to Mohd Azumi, the media played a very important in informing the public about incidents and issues that could have an impact on the society and country.
He said the role of the media was not only as an intermediary for disseminating information but also as a strong driver in creating and shaping public opinion, besides contributing to national development and community well-being.
“The power of the media has now become stronger in influencing the public’s perception towards certain issues when technology, such as the Internet, is used as a medium for disseminating information and news,” he said.
At the programme, the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) was named the “Most Supportive Media” for 2019 for the organisation category and chief executive officer Datuk Mokhtar Hussain received the award on behalf of Bernama.
Apart from that, Bernama.com picked up the award for the Online category while Bernama TV received the award for the television category.
Two Bernama representatives, Raziyaza Mohammed and Erda Khursyiah Basir, also received the “Most Supportive Media Practitioners” award.
The recognition ceremony was supposed to have been held last December in Kuantan, Pahang but had to be postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
— Bernama
