Commented by Heng Lee, Head of Government Affairs and Public Policy for Asia Pacific and Japan at Kaspersky.
On 15 July 2025, Malaysia’s Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo announced that the government will present a national cybercrime enforcement strategy to the Cabinet by the end of the year. He also confirmed that a cybercrime bill, intended to replace the outdated Computer Crimes Act 1997, is expected to be tabled in Parliament this October.
Kaspersky commends this as a timely move. The emphasis on enforcement, alongside broader digital strategy, reflects the country’s maturing cybersecurity posture and marks as a crucial step towards building a secure and trusted digital ecosystem.
According to the 2024 Kaspersky Security Network (KSN) Report, Malaysia recorded a staggering 27.9 million web-based threat attempts. In business sector alone, over 4,000,000 on-device cyberthreats were detected as well as 64,778 cases of financial phishing targeting local organisations. These figures highlight the urgency of implementing legislation and enforcement frameworks that can respond to today’s increasingly complex cyber threat landscape.
This direction is especially important as Malaysia’s digital economy is expected to become a key driver of national growth, with the forecast to contribute 25.5% to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 2025.
Kaspersky sees strong potential for Malaysia’s upcoming cybercrime framework to include clear offence definitions, robust digital forensic procedures and digital trust elements.
Cybercrime today is no longer just a technical issue as it is a national security, economic, and societal concern. Strong legislation, reinforced through expert-driven enforcement and ongoing collaboration, is key to ensuring Malaysia’s place as a digitally resilient nation.
