KUALA LUMPUR: The government is planning to amend the Personal Data Protection Act of 2010 to include breach notification requirements that compel companies to inform authorities when a data breach happens in commercial transactions, said Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo.
Gobind said his ministry proposes to table the amendment at the next sitting of Parliament with a total of seven points that it wants to raise.
“One of these is related to notification. When there is an incident where we believe there is an attempt to breach, companies need to notify the commission so that we can inform all involved parties ... data owners and so on.
“If an incident occurs, several parties are involved. We need to ensure that all involved parties are informed so they can protect their interests. This is a provision we will include there. And there are other provisions,” he told reporters after the launch of LGMS ‘Made-in-Malaysia’ StarSentry Cybersecurity Solution in support of the National Cyber Security Bill and ‘Cybersecurity for Rakyat’ initiative today.
Gobind also announced a plan to table the National Data Sharing Bill – a law that allows data sharing which is currently being drafted – in the last quarter of this year.
“We are now looking at the public sector. We need to look at that (data sharing) because that is a key ingredient for us to take full advantage of data that we have moving ahead with technology,” he said.
Gobind also said his ministry plans to take the issue of cybersecurity incentives to the Cabinet for discussion to provide encouragement for cybersecurity efforts.
“We will bring this matter to be discussed at the Cabinet level and see how we can possibly provide incentives. This (cybersecurity) is something the government should encourage. If we want to encourage it, we need to discuss how we can provide incentives or in other ways. This is something we will discuss,” he added.
Gobind said there is a 5% increase in complaints about data breaches or leaks in the first quarter of this year from the last quarter of last year. “I have been informed by the data protection office that in the last quarter of last year, we had 157 reports, and in the first quarter of this year, there are 163,” he added.
In light of these developments, he said, prioritising security measures is important in navigating the digital landscape.
“We want to create a convincing ecosystem, a trusted ecosystem that will be used by everyone. This is something we need to examine carefully and ensure that steps are taken not only by the government but also by the public sector. We need to work together. Collaboration is very important,” he said.
Developed entirely by LGMS Bhd and spearheaded by its wholly owned subsidiary Applied Security Intelligence Sdn Bhd (ASI), the solution aims to safeguard the domestic cybersecurity landscape before expanding regionally and internationally.
LGMS chairman Fong Choong Fook said StarSentry serves as a cybersecurity solution conceived from rigorous R&D and designed for user accessibility which took years in the making.
“StarSentry is crafted with the principle of ‘Cybersecurity for Rakyat’ at its core, offering a user-friendly, plug-and-play approach at an affordable price. It encompasses a solution for SMEs to be aware of cyber threats within their systems, including cyber risk insurance for every eligible subscriber,“ said Fong.
With vulnerability scanning and threat detection features, StarSentry empowers SMEs to enhance their cybersecurity posture and meet regulatory requirements, he added.
During the event, the LGMS group via ASI solidified two key partnerships – one with Tokio Marine Insurans (Malaysia) Bhd which underwrites cyber insurance for subscribers of StarSentry and the other with VSTECS Astar Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of VSTECS Bhd, which was appointed as the exclusive distributor of StarSentry.
StarSentry was developed in alignment with the recently announced National Cyber Security Bill 2024.
“By safeguarding critical national information infrastructure (CNII) sectors like government, banking, transportation and digital industries, StarSentry plays a crucial role in bolstering Malaysia’s overall cybersecurity resilience, as mandated by the bill,“ Fong said.
Mitsui & Co Ltd of Japan holds 25% equity interest in LGMS.
