Nacsa records 5,110 cyber incidents in Malaysia from January to September

In the first nine months of the year, the National Cyber Security Agency (Nacsa) documented 5,110 cybersecurity incidents in Malaysia, a slight decrease from the 5,837 incidents recorded in the same period last year. Nacsa chief executive Dr Megat Zuhairy Megat Tajuddin attributed this year's higher figure to a greater number of intrusion attempts and potential attacks detected early on.

Nacsa's National Cyber Coordination and Command Centre (NC4) released nine alerts and advisories in October and November this year, warning about security vulnerabilities affecting Critical Information Infrastructure (NCII) entities and government agencies. However, Nacsa emphasizes that not all cybersecurity incidents pose equal risk, focusing primarily on those capable of disrupting essential services.

Dr Megat Zuhairy highlighted a ransomware attack on Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd in March 2025, which led to over a 10-hour disruption at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). The viral Live Map & Ranking display suggests Malaysia is among the countries receiving the most cyber attacks, but this ranking is based on monitoring through specific cybersecurity products and platforms, utilized by organizations in Malaysia.

Megat Zuhairy explained that these sensors help in proactive monitoring of detected cyber activities and traffic.

The display does not fully represent Malaysia's overall cybersecurity situation, as actual incidents differ from merely detected activities or attempted attacks. Malaysia's cyber threat level remains moderate according to the National Cyber Threat Level (NCTL) assessment, and the country is placed in Tier 1 under the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI).

Malaysia is also preparing for a transition to Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) to counter advancements in quantum computing technology. Dr Megat Zuhairy emphasized that individuals, particularly through hacking of social media, email, and online banking accounts, are also targets of cyber threats. He advised the public on distinguishing account hacking from online scams, urging immediate action if compromised, such as changing passwords, activating multi-factor authentication (MFA), and reporting to the relevant platform provider or banks.