Its director-general, Ruslin Jusoh, in a statement, said that the cyberattack took place at 2am and the hacker had “defaced” the website’s landing page with other images.

“However, the links relevant for the department’s services, such as myIMMs, SSPI and others, were not affected.”

Ruslin said there was no information leak and advised the public not to jump to conclusions or make any speculation that could confuse or disrupt public order.

He said they had immediately shut down the website to repair the damage and ensure security.

Its information technology division is now working with the National Cyber Security Agency Malaysia (Nacsa) and CyberSecurity Malaysia to strengthen the website’s security.

Ruslin also said the website would likely be accessible to the public later today.

Earlier, FMT reported the cyberattack after the site was shut down.