Alert to phishing, do not click suspicious links

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians are advised to be alert of phishing scams and not to click on any suspicious links received through their personal social media accounts such as Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp.

A senior lecturer at the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, Universiti Malaya, Associate Professor Dr Ainuddin Wahid Abdul Wahab said this is because of the possibility that the links had been socially engineered by Israel to steal the users' data.

"As social media users, we are incapable of preventing any (cyber) attacks, but we can reduce the impact if it happens.

So, if we receive suspicious emails and there is a link in the email, do not click, it may be phishing," he said on Bernama TV " Koresponden Bernama" programme today.

He said this in response to issues on the possible cyber attacks by Israel following condemnations by Malaysians on the Israeli atrocities against the Palestinian people.

Ainuddin, however, expressed his confidence in the capabilities of the relevant agencies such as the National Security Council (NSC), the National Cyber Security Agency (NACSA) and CyberSecurity Malaysia in ensuring the country's cyber defence against any threat.

He also advised Malaysians to only share authentic information and news on the Palestinian-Israeli issue on their respective social media accounts.

Any information and comments condemning the Zionist regime posted on the Israeli Defence Force's (IDF) showed the solidarity of Malaysians with the Palestinians, but it also provided an opportunity for Israel to steal data from us, he said.

-- BERNAMA