PUTRAJAYA, July 22 — The government will enhance cyber security in the country by setting up a Cyber Security Command Centre, said Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.

He said the establishment of the integrated centre, to be headed by Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and with the National Security Council (MKN) as its secretariat, was decided at a Cabinet meeting recently.

"All related agencies will work together under this command centre. It will boost efforts we have taken so far (to ensure cyber security). With this command centre, we can step up the level of cyber security in the country,” he told a virtual press conference on fake news here today.

He said this when asked what steps the government was taking to protect the security of government agency websites following recent media reports about the risk of personal data leakage and other cyber security issues.

Saifuddin said the government was always committed to taking proactive actions to ensure the security and integrity of the country’s cyber space were safeguarded.

He said a recent Global Cybersecurity Index 2020 report issued by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) had ranked Malaysia among the top 10 countries with a high level of commitment on cyber security.

This recognition was accorded to Malaysia for scoring the maximum 20.0 marks in three of the five key performance indicators of the 2020 ITU cyber security agenda, in the components of legislation, capacity development and cooperation, and 19.08 and 18.98 marks respectively in the technical and organisation aspects, he said.

Saifuddin said this was proof of the government’s capability, determination and preparedness to provide expert services and advocacy in the field of cyber security, especially with regard to websites of government agencies.

"It also reflects the seriousness of the government in the aspect of cyber security and (countering) dissemination of false information generally,” he said. — Bernama