Don’t be fooled by claims of cyberattack, says security council

 The cyber threat level remains at a moderate level, the council says, after social media users share a map which lists Malaysia as among the top 20 targets of cyberattacks.

Social media users have spread images of a Live Threat Map believed to show cyberattacks launched against Malaysia. (FortiGuard Labs pic)

PETALING JAYA:

The national security council has warned the public against claims of cyberattacks against Malaysia being spread on social media and said national cybersecurity remains under control, with the national cyber threat level remaining at a moderate level.

The security council said the national cyber security agency and the national cyber coordination and command centre continually monitored any threats to cybersecurity and had taken note of cybersecurity incidents and system disruptions involving several financial institutions, Bernama reported.

“Bank Negara Malaysia is implementing comprehensive and integrated preparedness measures, including continuous monitoring of the cybersecurity status of the critical information infrastructure,” the security council said in a statement.

Efforts were being made to ensure that any threats are detected and addressed promptly, while essential services continue to operate smoothly,” the security council said.

Late on Friday, Bank Rakyat shut off access to its websites after an attacker defaced its web page. In response, communications minister Fadzil Fahmi said banking institutions in the country remained safe.

The national security council statement came hours after social media users were reported to have expressed concerns about cyberattacks from abroad, with reports of counter-attacks allegedly being launched from Malaysia, Sinar Harian reported.

Social media users have spread images of a “Live Threat Map” from the US-based cybersecurity company FortiGuard Labs showing several locations, including Cyberjaya, Shah Alam, and Petaling Jaya, as areas where cyber-threat activity had been recorded.

The map lists Malaysia in 18th place among the top 20 countries targeted for cyberattack, with 1.8 million attacks recorded over the past 24 hours. Threat activity is shown as originating from various countries, including France, Bulgaria, Indonesia, Japan, and China, with threat levels categorized as “critical” or “high.”

Much of the displayed activity is believed to involve attempts to breach web servers and internet routers used in homes and offices. the report said. Social media users also noted claims of retaliatory actions, including posts about a person in Batu Pahat, Johor, purportedly involved in such activities until the early hours of the morning.

Italian minister’s data leaked

Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani said his personal information had been leaked on the dark web by cybercriminals who were  seeking further details about him and his family, exposing them to “new threats and intimidation”.

In a post on X, Tajani said the perpetrators had been circulating his data for days and were offering to pay for additional information about him and his loved ones, the Turkish news agency reported.

Tajani linked the alleged targeting to Italy’s support for Ukraine. He also suggested that the threats were partly a response to cybersecurity measures introduced at the Italian foreign ministry in recent months. - FMT