Day One of The NACSA Cyber Security Summit 2024
The Lauch of Malaysia’s Premier Cybersecurity Event
30 July 2024, Putrajaya
Malaysia’s Prime Minister YAB Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim officiated the launch of the inaugural NACSA Cyber Security Summit (NCSS) today at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC).
Themed “United Efforts for a Secure and Resilient Malaysia”, the event is organised by the National Cyber Security Agency (NACSA) Malaysia and Alpine Integrated Solution (AIS). The three-day event aims to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and best practices by cybersecurity stakeholders from the public, private and academic sectors.
NCSS 2024 is the main feature event under the CYDES Series of Events and is a major event leading up to CYDES 2025, which is scheduled to be held in July next year. It is also part of the National Security Month celebrations by the National Security Council (NSC) of Malaysia.
The Opening Ceremony
The Opening Ceremony of NCSS 2024 was graced by the Guest of Honour YAB Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim as well as other VVIP guests including YB Senator Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution bin Ismail – Minister of Home Affairs Malaysia, YB Datuk Seri Khaled bin Nordin – Minister of Defence Malaysia, YBhg Tan Sri Mohd Zuki bin Ali – Chief Secretary to the Government of Malaysia, YM Raja Dato' Nushirwan bin Zainal Abidin – Director-General of National Security at the NSC. and Ir. Dr. Megat Zuhairy bin Megat Tajuddin – Chief Executive of NACSA.
Also, in attendance were more than 100 high-level decision makers and thought leaders from government ministries and agencies, cybersecurity industry players, academia, embassies, law enforcement agencies, and other stakeholders from Malaysia and internationally.
The Welcome Speech for NCSS 2024 was given by YM Raja Dato' Nushirwan bin Zainal Abidin, followed by the Opening Speech by YAB Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim.
In his address, the Prime Minister spoke on the importance of maintaining national security and sovereignty as part of the Malaysia Madani vision. He also highlighted several achievements that Malaysia has made. These include being ranked among the top 10 safest countries in the world for the first time in the Global Peace Index 2024 and being upgraded to Tier 2 in the 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report, which is a recognition of the Malaysian government’s efforts to combat human trafficking.
YAB Dato’ Seri Anwar also acknowledged the importance of NCSS 2024, stating that the event is “timely with the rapidly changing cyber threat landscape, where threat actors continue to develop new techniques to exploit existing digital vulnerabilities.” This is reflected in the fact that the National Cyber Coordination and Command Centre (NC4) managed 3,232 cybersecurity incidents in 2023. As such, he affirmed the government’s commitment to always being vigilant in ensuring and enhancing the efficiency of national cybersecurity agencies.
YAB Dato’ Seri Anwar was then joined by YB Senator Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution bin Ismail, YB Datuk Seri Khaled bin Nordin, YBhg Tan Sri Mohd Zuki bin Ali and YM Raja Dato' Nushirwan bin Zainal Abidin to launch NCSS 2024 as well as the National Security Month and the National Security Index (IKK).
YAB Dato’ Seri Anwar also gave away the first prize of the ASTRO - NACSA Coding Challenge to team CyberX from Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah. Co-organised by ASTRO and NACSA, in collaboration with the Department of Higher Education Malaysia, the Challenge tasked teams from institutes of higher learning in Malaysia to demonstrate their savvy in tackling cybersecurity threats.
In particular, they were required to design and create mobile applications that can detect and report malware, phishing and illicit video streaming activities. Aside from CyberX, four other teams were judged to be among the top five out of the 251 entries received.
They were 251 IyjYYDS from Universiti Utara Malaysia, Group Captain Pentagon from Peninsula College, AllTheWay from Sunway College, and Meta Knight from Multimedia University.
Following the launches, YAB Dato’ Seri Anwar was escorted on a tour of the exhibition where 67 local and international cybersecurity organisations and companies are showcasing their products and services. During this tour, the Prime Minister stopped by the NACSA booth, where he launched CYDES 2025.
The Prize-Giving Continues and MoU Exchange
YB Tuan Gobind Singh Deo – the Minister of Digital Malaysia – then presented the prizes to the rest of the winners of the ASTRO – NACSA Coding Challeng
He also witnessed the Exchange of MoUs between NACSA Chief Executive Ir. Dr. Megat Zuhairy bin Megat Tajuddin and partner agencies.
These include AwanBiru Technology Berhad (AWANTEC), the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), the Malaysia Technical Standards Forum Bhd (MTSFB), and the National ICT Association of Malaysia (PIKOM).
Meeting of Minds
The first day of NCSS 2024 was also headlined a Plenary Forum, a Keynote Presentation, and three Track Sessions comprising two Panel Sessions each.
The 1st Plenary Forum – “Getting to Know the Malaysia Cyber Security Act 2024 (Act 854)” featured NACSA Chief Executive Ir. Dr. Megat Zuhairy bin Megat Tajuddin, the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) Chief Executive Mr David Koh, and Technology Consulting Partner at Ernst & Young Mr Jason Yuen as panellists. The Forum was moderated by Astro AWANI News Anchor Mr. Luqman Haris Shaker.
The discussion centred around the Malaysia Cyber Security Act 2024, in particular how its key provisions will help in reinforcing Malaysia’s cybersecurity ecosystem and infrastructure. In addition, the panellists also exchanged views on the role that local and international partners and stakeholders from the public and private sectors can help in ensuring the strategic implementation of the Act and how this will positively impact national security and boost business confidence in Malaysia as well as the region.
Mr James Mcleary – the Head of Cybersecurity Practive at THALES – gave the 1st Keynote Presentation titled “Empowering SOC Efficiency: Aligning AI-Based Operations with Regulatory Compliance”.
Here he spoke on how the licensing requirements of the Malaysia Cyber Security Act 2024 is expected to impact Security Operations Centres (SOCs) in Malaysia, particularly with regards to using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance efficiency.
“Threat Intelligence and Defence Strategies” was the theme of the 1st Track Session which was divided into two panel sessions.
The 1st Panel Session – “Harnessing the Power of AI in Threat Detection and Response” brought together industry experts such as Mr Vivek Chudgar – Managing Director of Mandiant Consulting, Japan & Asia Pacific, Mr Vijay Ganti – Director of Product Management and Expert at Google Cloud Security, and Dr Amir Abdul Samad – Chief Information Security Officer of PETRONAS to discuss how AI can help enhance threat intelligence, detection, investigation and response. The session was moderated by Dr Carrine Teoh-Ong – President (Cybersecurity & Governance) of the ASEAN CIO Association and sponsored by Google Cloud Security
The 2nd Panel Session – “Security and Network Operations at the Speed of AI” featured a presentation by Mr Zulkarnain Asnawi – Solution Consultant & Advisory of Fortinet and fireside chats by Mr Zulkarnain, Mr Azhar Adnan – Chief Business Officer of TIME, and Mr Jason Yuen – Technology Consulting Partner at Ernst & Young on how cybersecurity teams can be more resilient and effective in the face of threats from AI. This session was sponsored by Fortinet.
There were also two panel sessions at the 2nd Track Session on “Cyber Resilience”. The 1st Panel Session – “Building Cyber Resilience in the era of AI with End-to-End Protection” was sponsored by Microsoft and focused on how organisations can utilise AI to enhance their resilience to cyber-attacks. It featured expert speakers such as Mr Joshua Ooi – Senior Security Sales Specialist (ASEAN) at Microsoft.
The 2nd Panel Session – “A Holistic Approach to Sustainable OT Cybersecurity: Getting Ready for Compliance” was sponsored by Siemens Energy and Tenable. It brought together Mr Narasimhan Ragunathan – Business Development Manager at SIEMENS Energy and Mr Kannan – Consultant for Enterprise Security at Tenable, to discuss how to build a robust Operational Technology (OT) cybersecurity infrastructure that will meet industry and regulatory requirements.
The 3rd Track Session was themed “Emerging Technologies and Future Trends”. Its 1st Panel Session – “AI in Cybersecurity: Next-Gen Defence Strategies” gathered panellists such as Mr Jonathan Jackson – Senior Director of Strategic Solutions, APAC at BlackBerry Cybersecurity, Mr Melvin Foong – Chief Information Officer of GD Express Carrier Bhd (GDEX), Mr Victor Lo – Head of Digital Tech Ecosystem at MDEC, and Ts. Izzat Aziz – Chief Technology Officer of Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) to discuss how AI can help in the development of next-generation cybersecurity strategies. The session was moderated by Assoc. Prof. Dr Mohamad Yusof Darus – Associate Professor in Computer Science,
Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and sponsored by BlackBerry.
Mr Wee Kim Leng – Director, Cyber Security & PMO at REDTone – presented the 2nd Panel Session “Emerging Technologies and Future Trends” where he spoke on the cybersecurity risks, challenges and opportunities resulting from the rollout of 5G technology. The session was sponsored by Huawei.
Parallel Events
As the leading cybersecurity event in Malaysia, several other events were also held parallel to the 1st day of NCSS 2024, namely My Cyber Hero (MYCH) 2024 and the 2nd Malaysia-Singapore Cyber Security High-Level Roundtable 2024.
MYCH 2024 gave school students from across Malaysia the opportunity to participate in various challenges and games which demonstrated their knowledge and skills at tacking cybersecurity threats. The event was sponsored by AIS, Awantec and Microsoft, with the prize giving ceremony officiated by Ir. Dr. Megat Zuhairy bin Megat Tajuddin and YBrs Mr Moktar bin Wahid – Deputy Director of the Educational Resources and Technology Section at the Ministry of Education, Malaysia.
Government and private sector experts from Malaysia and Singapore discussed how the two close neighbours can enhance cooperation in facing cybersecurity challenges and protecting critical infrastructure through mutual information exchange and capacity building programmes.
The NACSA Cyber Security Summit continues for two more days and will end on 1st August 2024.
About NACSA:
The National Cyber Security Agency (NACSA) was officially established in February 2017 as the national lead agency for cyber security matters, with the objectives of securing and strengthening Malaysia's resilience in facing the threats of cyber attacks, by co-ordinating and consolidating the nation's best experts and resources in the field of cyber security.
About CYDES:
CYDES, the integrated cyber defence, cybersecurity, and emerging technology event, stands as a cornerstone in the national cybersecurity landscape. Positioned as a pivotal platform, CYDES is a national event that showcases expertise, solutions, and cutting-edge technologies aimed at combatting present and future cyber threats. Aligned with the Malaysia Cyber Security Strategy (MCSS), CYDES serves as a showcase of advanced solutions and technologies tailored to address cyber defence and cybersecurity challenges across both public and private sectors, with a focus on safeguarding Critical National Information Infrastructure (NCII) sectors.
The CYDES Series of Events unfolds throughout 2024, spanning from April to October, offering a continuous stream of invaluable insights and opportunities. These interim pocket events serve as precursors to the 3rd CYDES slated for 2025. The CYDES Series of Events 2024 operates as strategic platforms for ongoing cybersecurity dialogues, engagements, networking, and information sharing among stakeholders spanning all industries in both the nation and the region.
For further details, please visit https://cydes.my.