BY ELLEN HAYS
Photo by Ilya Pavlov on Unsplash
Recent data breaches in Malaysia have made for dramatic news headlines. But what exactly is a data breach? And how can they affect your life?
Data breaches may seem like a remote, technological issue that is irrelevant to our everyday lives. You may be surprised to learn that data breaches are an important human rights issue that can touch upon the lives of everyone. Read more
Source: Free Malaysia Today
PETALING JAYA: The founder of tech portal Lowyat.net Vijandren Ramadass has lamented the lack of laws in Malaysia that outline what organisations should do in the event of a data breach.
The European Union, for instance, is drafting a general data protection regulation.
The United States already has laws that require companies to notify those affected by their data breaches, a report in Today Online said.
In October last year, Vijandren uncovered a major data leak in Malaysia said to have affected almost every Malaysian and possibly millions of tourists.
He had discovered the leak when a user tried to sell the data on the portal’s forum.
The leaked data, which cybersecurity experts have said was extensive enough to allow criminals to create fraudulent identities to make online purchases, included lists of mobile phone numbers, identification card numbers, home addresses, and SIM card data of 46.2 million customers.
Source: Malay Mail Online
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 6 — A group consisting of civil societies and “concerned individuals” today called for the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 to be reviewed so that federal and state governments will be held responsible for any leaks of personal data that they collect.
The group of 13 organisations and four individuals said the recent cases of data leak show that the Act, short for PDPA, must be reviewed to include governments and government agencies in order to mitigate future breaches.
Source: Malay Mail Online
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 7 ― PKR communications director Fahmi Fadzil filed a civil suit against the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and Nuemera (M) Sdn Bhd yesterday for alleged failure to protect 46.2 million personal information.
The suit was triggered by a massive date breach that is believed to have occurred in 2014.
“In this digital era, our personal infomation has become the basis of our day to day transaction. The public needs to know that they can trust and feel confident about the institutions and parties who are entrusted of such duties, can stay true to their responsibilities.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
Image via Free Malaysia Today
PETALING JAYA: Although awareness of digital attacks is high, Asean countries including Malaysia are not spending enough on cybersecurity, a global consulting firm says.
In a report released on Tuesday, AT Kearney said in 2017, Asean countries collectively spent only 0.06% of their GDP, or US$1.9 billion (RM7.4 billion), on cybersecurity.
This was in contrast to the global average of 0.13%.
Putrajaya tidak menjawab sama ada sudah membeli satu alat teknologi daripada “Hacking Team” untuk merisik rakyat sendiri dengan mengatakan data peribadi dan kerahsiaan rakyat sentiasa terjaga.
Menjawab soalan Ahli Parlimen Klang Charles Santiago, Menteri Komunikasi Dan Multimedia Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak mengatakan kerajaan sentiasa mempertahankan dan menjamin hak rakyat Malaysia terpelihara.
“Di Malaysia, data peribadi dan kerahsiaan rakyat dilindungi supaya tidak disalahgunakan.
“Tindakan tegas akan diambil melalui undang-undang sedia ada bagi menjamin hak rakyat Malaysia sentiasa terpelihara,” kata jawapan bertulis beliau di Dewan Rakyat hari ini. Read more