More cyber security experts needed to combat hackers - MCMC

Malaysia needs more cyber security experts in future as preparations to face various risks from the open sky in the rapidly expanding cyberspace industry.

Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) Advocacy and Outreach Department senior director Eneng Faridah Iskandar said this was due to the existence of black hackers with various cyber crimes causing internet users to be easily exposed to dangers in the cyberspace.

She said the dumping of hacking technics and methods uploaded on the internet resulted in such illegal activities getting more widespread and serious measures were needed to contain such proliferation.

"The internet is now available everywhere and the number of internet users in Malaysia has reached 20.1 million people in both urban and rural areas.

"The increasing number of users caused the probability of cyber crime taking place to be high and therefore the country needs more experts in computer forensics to protect the data security of the people," she told reporters at competition " I-Hack 2016' by Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), here Saturday.

"The I-Hack 2016 by UiTM Science and Mathematics Faculty was aimed at unearthing new talents in computer forensics to expose them to the ethics of responsible internet usage.

This year, 17 local universities are participating in the contest involving 647 contestants in seven categories which included Hack and Defense Competition', 'Forensic Challenge Competition' 'Digital Forensics for Beginners Workshop'.