Discussions and presentations throughout the recently concluded Cyber Security Exchange Malaysia (CSXM) 2021 revolved around the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint (MyDIGITAL)
Screenshot of one of the CSXM 2021 panel sessions | Source: CSXM 2021
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KUALA LUMPUR: Cybersecurity Exchange Malaysia (CSXM) 2021 was held virtually on the 10th and 11th of March gathering more than 200 participants from Malaysia and other parts of the world.
Discussions and presentations throughout the event revolved around the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint (MyDIGITAL), which highlights that the role of cybersecurity cannot be understated as failure to implement clear cybersecurity policies, programs and protocols which could lead to economic losses in billions, and could also cause a set back to the socio-economic development agenda as promised by the current Malaysian government. CSXM 2021 also saw speakers and panellists presenting some of the best practices that can be implemented to ensure people remain cyber safe.
During the opening address of CSXM 2021 on Wednesday, Murugason R. Thangaratnam, Executive Director of Novem CS said, “Although most of us strive to cease our opportunity towards digital transformation, we must pay equal attention to also protecting ourselves against cyber threats and strengthening our cyber defences. We are not only in the midst of a global pandemic; we are also in the midst of a digital revolution. One that has fundamentally changed societies and economies around the world. Change was already gaining momentum before COVID-19 came into the picture but with the hit from the pandemic, it only accelerated the digital transformation.”
Day One featured presentations and discussions by experts in the field such as Murugason R. Thangaratnam (Executive Director, Novem CS), Girish Ramachandran (Executive Director, 27 Advisory), Gopi Ganesalingam (Vice President, Global Growth Acceleration), Dato’ Ts. Dr. Haji Amirudin Bin Abdul Wahab (Chief Executive Officer, Cybersecurity Malaysia), Mohamad Jamal Suleiman (Chief Executive Officer, Abyres), Dr. Prakash Christiansen (Chief Executive Officer, VULSAN X), Lars Schlichting (Partner, Kellerhals Carrard), and Vicks Kanagasingam (Strategic Advisor & Coach, Leaderonomics) with Nordin Abdullah (host of CSXM 2021).
Among the topics discussed on day one of CSXM 2021 was Development of 4IR Cybersecurity National Framework of Policies for Malaysia, Cybersecurity: A Digital Growth Story for Malaysia, Empowering Cyber Resiliency Through Proactive Security and Threat Intelligence, Malaysian Data Security Challenges & Trends, Threat Intelligence Solutions for SMEs, European Fintech & Blockchain Regulatory Trends and Cybersecurity Gaps in IoT.
In his presentation, Dato’ Ts. Dr. Haji Amirudin Bin Abdul Wahab, CEO, Cybersecurity Malaysia said “Based on the latest statistics, a total of 27.43 million Malaysians is connected to the internet in the past 2 years. Based on The Global Risk Report for 2020, landing on number six and 7 of the top 10 risk for 2020 is Cyber Threats and Privacy/Identity Management and Information Security. This means that cyber-attacks and threats are always in the top 10 risk at the global level and this is even confirmed when you look at the top 15 cyber threats by ENISA, the European Global cybersecurity, states that Malware, web-based attacks, phishing are the top three cyber threats that happened in 2020.”
The panel session that took place towards the end of day one concluded that cybersecurity audits should be made mandatory for SMEs who supply to Government-Linked Companies and government agencies in a strategic nature.
Day Two witnessed presentations and panel sessions by Muhittin Hasancioglu (CISO, Head of Cyber, PETRONAS), Angelo Consoli (Managing Director, ECLEXXYS Sagl), Dr Johan Olstenius (Managing Director, Founder and CTO, Invisiron), Steve Ledzian (Vice President & Chief Technology Officer, Asia Pacific FireEye) and Shamayel Farooqui, (Head of CLOUD & IT, Virtusa Corporation).
During the closing keynote, Angelo Consoli, Managing Director of ECLEXYS Sagl concluded that “Based on my experience cooperating with national telecom providers and major companies in cybersecurity domain in Europe and worldwide, you need to monitor, analyse and correlate data as well as know your business and all its critical aspects when it comes to cybersecurity. Know your objectives, the power and limits of analytics, including AI and ML. Conduct vulnerability assessment and penetration testing periodically, and invest in risk assessment and risk management. Know your environment, protect it by increasing resiliency by raising awareness of cyber threats and organizing periodic training. These are the key to increased security!”
On the flip side, co-hearing strategies for all stakeholders will enable an effective business ecosystem that is cyber resilient. This will then lead to foreign and domestic investment as corporations will confidently operate here in Malaysia. Small-medium enterprises (SMEs) will need to beef up their data protection in the cybersecurity environment as they represent a softer target for cyber criminals who are lurking around waiting to attack larger organization and government agencies.
Event producers, The Malaya Collective, looks forward to making Cybersecurity Exchange Malaysia (CSXM) an annual landmark event with the aim of transforming cyber resilience with tomorrow’s cyber and data security megatrends.
Source: CSXM 2021 (Press release)
