JUNE10 — The government’s plan to introduce new legislation to curb cyber crimes is timely due to the surge in complaints related to cyber security received every year.
The recent Wannacry malware attack is one example of a cyber crime that has hit 300,000 devices in 150 countries.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on Friday said that the bill would be tabled at the next sitting of Parliament after it had been scrutinised by the Attorney General’s Chambers.
Cyber crime, also called computer crime, involves the use of a computer as an instrument to further illegal ends, such as committing fraud, trafficking in child pornography and intellectual property, stealing identities or violating privacy.
Zahid said it was important that the legislation be enforced strictly in combating all sorts of cyber crime, including the recruitment of terrorists and sourcing of funds for terrorism, money laundering and online gambling.
Data from CyberSecurity Malaysia, an agency under the Science, Technology and Innovations Ministry, show a total of 2,428 cyber crime incidences were reported between January and April this year.
Fraud cases detected in cyberspace for example, have also jumped 20 per cent last year compared to 2015. Besides fraud, the top cyber crimes were intrusion, spam and malicious code.
CyberSecurity Malaysia chief executive officer CEO Datuk Dr Amirudin Abdul Wahab recently pointed out that countering cyber crime would be increasingly challenging due to the exponential growth of connected devices.
I believe that the new legislation would help safeguard the interests and well-being of the people since every complaint could be acted upon through legal means.
It was reported that the National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA), which came to force on Feb 1, is the agency which helps coordinate efforts against cyber security threats under existing laws including the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, Defamation Act 1957 and the Sedition Act 1948.
We have to remember that cyber crimes actually represent an extension of existing criminal behaviour but the perpetrators are now exploiting the advancement of the Internet and digital technology to commit crimes.
Cyber crime attacks also do not take place on a physical body and in most cases, have non-local character where actions can occur under the jurisdictions of other countries.
This poses serious problems for local law enforcement agencies as they need to have strong international cooperation in order to locate and take action against the perpetrators.
I hope the government will find ways to strengthen its cooperation with regional and global enforcement agencies to combat cyber crime apart from establishing a legal framework with other countries to nab the culprits.
At the same time, I also hope that the new legislation will tackle cyber harassment, which includes cyberbullying.
Based on the CyberSecurity Malaysia statistics, there were 1,524 cyberbullying cases recorded in the past five years and most of them involved students.
Although the number is low compared with more than 5 million students nationwide, I would like to stress that the statistics are based only on reported cases.
A survey made by DIGI Telecommunications Sdn Bhd and Telenor Group last year revealed a shocking fact that one in four students admitted that they had experienced cyberbullying.
I hope that the new legislation will address all types of cyber crime including cyberbullying which is more serious than what have been reported.
We have to act now since technology advancement and better Internet access have enabled the virtual world to be exploited by more people including existing and potential criminals.
*Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye is the senior vice-chairman of Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF).
** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.
