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Call for independent commission to effectively tackle cybercrimes
18 September 2023

KUALA LUMPUR: Cybersecurity experts call for the current police cyber crime unit to be expanded into a department of its own or separated as an independent commission to effectively combat cybercrimes.

This follows the statement made by Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain yesterday on reviewing the existing laws related to cybercrime to include the element of fraud through computer software and devices.

Razarudin noted it was because cybercrimes were expected to continue to proliferate in the near future due to the speed of technology, especially with the generative power of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

While experts agree with the Razaruddin's statement, the expansion of the enforcement body must be attended in tandem.

"The commercial crime department, which the current cybercrime division is under, is already responsible for a wide range of offences making it difficult to give cybercrime the attention it deserves," said USM cybersecurity expert Dr Selvakumar Manickam.

To bolster the effectiveness the government's cybersecurity bill that is expected to be tabled, Selvakumar said an independent department would help develop the expertise and resources needed.

"This formation should include enforcement agencies, cybersecurity researchers, and other relevant entities to tackle an increasingly sophisticated threat."

Echoing the comment, Malaysia Cyber Consumer Association (MCCA) Siraj Jalil said the move suggested would help the current crime prevention efforts to be expedited in parallel to the growth of digitalisation.

He believes a stand-alone cybercrime department would ensure the flow of investigations without obstacles compared to the current state.

"The issue of data breach is wide and extends beyond what we know as a cyber crime.

"Some issues involve backdoors, some issues involve administration where integrity is concerned."

Siraj said because there was no regulation to make it compulsory for companies utilising digital technology as part of their service to conduct a penetration test as security evaluation, data exploitation could easily take place.

"So this specific agency must also be responsible for championing audit assessments so that everyone can take part in ensuring cybersecurity."

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2023/09/956444/call-independent-commission-effectively-tackle-cybercrimes