KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 8 — The establishment of the National Scam Response Centre as announced in Budget 2023 will strategically enhance the country’s unwavering efforts in combating cybercrime, a cybersecurity organisation said.

Trend Micro Malaysia and Nascent Countries managing director Goh Chee Hoh said the targeted cybersecurity measures outlined will not only boost the nation’s cybersecurity but also served to increase stakeholder and end-user confidence.

"We would like to laud the establishment of a National Scam Response Center, in collaboration with the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), National Anti-Financial Crime Center (NFCC) and the financial institutions.

"The establishment of the centre certainly synergises well with the proposed allocation of RM73 million to CyberSecurity Malaysia (CSM) to strengthen the country’s cybersecurity resilience by improving the monitoring, detection and cybercrime reporting capabilities,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Goh said he believed that the government would remain steadfast in strengthening the nation’s data security stance by continuing to enhance existing legal provisions to protect the country against new or heightened cyber risk perpetrated by cybercriminals.

"Apart from establishing the required infrastructure, proactive and effective cybersecurity investments and measures should also be looked into to ensure business continuity,” he added.

Meanwhile, Microsoft Malaysia managing director K Raman said the budget allocated to CSM must be highlighted as cybersecurity is a major consideration that might impact the nation’s resilience in the digital economy.

He said as a company that placed trust at the core of everything it does, having a secure digital landscape is critical to any future endeavour.

"As such, Microsoft is exploring collaborations with the government specifically on cybersecurity strategies to enhance the nation’s digital resilience.

"We are supporting the National Cyber Security Agency (NACSA) in areas related to capacity building, providing private sector insight and capabilities as well as best practices on policy and regulation to transform Malaysia into the destination of choice for digital investments,” he added. — Bernama