He said the home ministry was well-equipped to handle any alleged data leaks, but acknowledged the concern among many quarters over the matter.

“The home ministry has the Special Branch, and I’ve worked with them in the past (as home minister). I believe that they (home ministry) are more than equipped (to handle such a threat).

“Also, this sort of threat does not jeopardise the national security of our country,” he said at a press conference here today.

Earlier this week, tech website Lowyat.net reported that a national registration department (JPN) dataset containing details of Malaysia’s population with birth years from 1940 to 2004 – or roughly 22.5 million people – was on sale for nearly RM44,000 at a database marketplace forum.

The seller claimed the personal data included full names, identity card numbers, addresses and photographs. Data from the Election Commission (EC) website is also allegedly up for sale.

Home minister Hamzah Zainudin denied the leak, stating that the dataset did not belong to JPN.

Bukit Aman’s commercial crime investigation department said it was probing the validity of the allegations after a police report had been lodged.