Murugason Thangaratnam, CEO of cybersecurity company NovemCS, said the commission would require a joint public-private partnership, adding that every enterprise in the nation would need to purposefully engage in addressing cyber risks.
This includes large, medium and small companies, the various levels of government, educational institutions, and individuals.
“They must be equipped to understand the role they play in their own security and how their actions directly impact the cybersecurity of the nation more broadly,” Murugason told FMT.
For the proposed commission to be truly effective, he said, it should also hold public hearings and devote attention to areas such as critical infrastructure and Internet of Things (IoT).
However, Vulsan X Corp CEO Prakash Christiansen disagreed with Murugason, saying he believed the commission would be a massive step in safeguarding cybersecurity in the nation.
Prakash also said that currently, every industry worked in silos when it came to cybersecurity, and this stood in the way of a consolidated approach to the matter.
He said it was important for all industry players and professionals to give their opinions to enhance the effectiveness of the proposed commission. This would ensure that there were no discrepancies.
On Tuesday, communications and digital minister Fahmi Fadzil said a Malaysian cybersecurity commission would be established as part of efforts to strengthen cybersecurity in the country.
Fahmi said the ministry would cooperate with related agencies such as CyberSecurity Malaysia (CSM) to set up the commission.
Murugason said it was timely as agencies tasked with protecting the country’s cyberspace were currently only responding to issues rather than approaching them from a risk management angle.
Prakash said as the security threat landscape was evolving every day, the government’s priority should be to protect Malaysians as well as businesses with the right guidelines.
“For individuals, the government needs to have a software or system that protects our technology gadgets. For businesses, breach assessments are needed to understand the current risk factors and where they stand against cyber risks,” he said.
He also said having more agencies overlooking cybersecurity was good, while CSM could help in ensuring compliance since it has comprehensive experience and infrastructure.