Nation to consolidate cyber defences under new central agency, says PM

MALAYSIA is set to reinforce its national cybersecurity architecture through deeper strategic coordination and a major institutional restructuring designed to safeguard national security, stability and sovereignty, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has announced.

Chairing a meeting of the National Cyber Security Committee, Anwar said the government reviewed measures to strengthen preparedness against increasingly complex cyber threats in the context of a volatile geopolitical environment.

“The meeting reviewed progress on the establishment of the Cyber Security and Cryptology Development Centre (CSCDC) as a centralised entity to consolidate the functions of the Malaysian Cryptology Technology and Management Centre (PTPKM) and CyberSecurity Malaysia (CSM), as approved by the Cabinet.

“Through this restructuring, PTPKM will be given a permanent institutional placement, while the functions and resources of CSM will be centralised under the CSCDC, which will be placed under the Prime Minister’s Department and regulated by NACSA and the National Security Council as its technical and operational arms,” he said in a Facebook post today.

The proposed Cyber Security and Cryptology Development Centre will integrate the roles of the Malaysian Cryptology Technology and Management Centre and CyberSecurity Malaysia under a single command structure.

The new body will operate within the Prime Minister’s Department and be regulated by the National Cyber Security Agency and the National Security Council, which will serve as its technical and operational arms.

Anwar said the meeting also gave in-principle approval to new policy directions for a forthcoming Cyber Crime Bill.

The proposed legislation is expected to address emerging digital threats, including the misuse of artificial intelligence technologies such as deepfakes, the non-consensual dissemination of intimate images and provisions for computer data retention to facilitate criminal investigations.

The Prime Minister underscored that strengthening cybersecurity remains central to Malaysia’s broader national security strategy, particularly as digital threats evolve alongside rapid technological change. - February 13, 2026