Cybersecurity experts have backed Budget 2027 plans for Nacsa and MCMC to develop home-grown, quantum-resistant data protection technologies to shield critical national infrastructure and sensitive government data from foreign espionage.
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia must strengthen its ability to protect sensitive government information from foreign cyber threats, experts said, as Budget 2027’s plan to develop home-grown data protection technology offers a step towards greater control over national security systems.
Universiti Teknologi Mara Centre for Media and Information Warfare Studies senior lecturer Dr Noor Nirwandy Mat Noordin said Malaysian-controlled security technology was important because cyber threats extended beyond financial scams to espionage and attacks on strategic networks.
“The most important thing is that we have the capability to protect government systems. We need to ensure that data stored by service providers or third parties is safely encrypted.
“This includes sensitive information related to national security, intelligence, diplomatic activities and strategic infrastructure, which must be safeguarded against future threats,” he said.
“Quantum-resistant security is not only about protecting information against future technology, but also about ensuring we retain control through local talent and capabilities,” he said.
Under Budget 2027, the National Cyber Security Agency (Nacsa) and Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will develop locally made technologies to protect data against threats from future quantum computers.
The government also announced RM6 billion for research, development and commercialisation across ministries, although it did not specify an allocation for quantum cybersecurity.
Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia Centre for Cybersecurity and Data Intelligence senior researcher Assoc Prof Dr Zubaile Abdullah said cyber warfare could target systems that run electricity supplies, water treatment plants, oil and gas facilities, and transport networks.
“If attackers manage to take over or manipulate these control systems, the consequences could include power disruptions, halted water treatment operations and damage to industrial equipment.
“Such attacks could also endanger lives and disrupt economic activities, potentially destabilising the country without the need for conventional military confrontation,” he said.
He added that cyber espionage could involve the theft of confidential government documents, industrial research and sensitive operational data.
Zubaile urged closer cooperation between Nacsa, MCMC, MIMOS Berhad and universities so that locally developed technology could be tested and deployed to protect operational systems, rather than remaining in research laboratories.
Meanwhile, Universiti Malaya Centre of Research for Cybersecurity and Network fellow researcher Prof Dr Ainuddin Wahid Abdul Wahab said quantum protection addressed a different but equally serious risk: information stolen today could become readable years later.
“Almost every digital activity today, including online banking, emails and government systems, is protected by encryption, like a digital padlock that can only be opened with the correct key.
“However, quantum computers could eventually make some of today’s digital padlocks easier to open,” he said.
Ainuddin warned that criminals could steal encrypted information now and store it until future technology became powerful enough to unlock it.
“Health records and identity card information remain sensitive for decades, so they need to be protected,” he said.
He added that any transition to stronger encryption must be gradual and guided by risk assessments and international security standards.
