Cyber security awareness was the focus of the #cyberSAFE Seminar in Kuala Lumpur on 22 October 2017, organised by the National Council of Women’s Organisation Malaysia (NCWO) in collaboration with CyberSecurity Malaysia and supported by Limkokwing University.
One the most shocking statistics revealed during the day-long seminar was related to cyberbullying: One in every four children in Malaysia experience some form of rejection, intimidation or harassment online every day.
Mostly prevalent on social media, such cases have even been linked to suicide!
Another worrying statistic revealed was that 70 percent of commercial crimes today are cyber-related, eclipsing even drug smuggling. More alarming, cybercriminals often operate from outside Malaysia, creating huge challenges for the Royal Malaysia Police to bring them to justice.
MUST READ: Fighting cybercrime with the Royal Malaysia Police!
Themed ‘Keep our Women and Children #cyberSAFE’, the seminar was officiated by the wife of the Malaysian Prime Minister, YABhg Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor.
Delivering her keynote address to a packed ballroom of school and university students, teachers, academicians, professionals, activists, and representatives of PTAs, NGOs, Government ministries and agencies, the patron of PERMATA Programmes said: “We are responsible to inculcate internet literacy among children and teens so they can grow to be educated, ethical and responsible adults.”
“Parents need to play a very important role to watch what is being watched, heard and read by children on the internet,” she added.
NCWO President and Chairperson of #cyberSAFE, YBhg Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Profesor Emerita Dr. Sharifah Hapsah, thanked the various government ministries and agencies for supporting the cause, and her appreciation to Limkokwing University and its Founder and President, YBhg. Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Paduka Dr. Lim Kok Wing as the Special Advisor to the #cyberSAFE programme.
“The objective of this seminar is to raise awareness about this pressing issue so our public can work together in combating the problem and minimise any risk our women and children face when they go online,” she said.
Also in attendance were YB Dato’ Sri Hajah Rohani Abdul Karim, Minister of Women, Family and Community Development; YB Dato’ Sri Azalina Dato’ Othman Said, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department; and YB Datuk Wira Dr. Abu Bakar Mohamad Diah, Deputy Minister of the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry.
Featured speakers in the first panel session on ‘Keeping the Cyber World Safe’ were National Cyber Security Agency (NACSA) Chief Executive, Ir Md. Shah Nuri Md. Zain; CyberSecurity Malaysia (CSM) CEO, Dato’ Dr. Haji Amiruddin Abdul Wahab; and AGC Commercial and Cyber Crimes Unit Head, Julia Ibrahim. The session was moderated by #cyberSAFE ambassador, Harith Iskander.
The popular comedian, entertainer and father is a passionate advocate of cyber safety. “Statistics don’t lie; 41 percent of adults for victim to cyber theft and internet scams. And over a thousand women in Malaysia are victims of cyber love-scams with losses estimated at over RM70 million,” he said.
In the second session of the morning, moderated by #cyberSAFE ambassador, Lisa Surihani, representatives from the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the Royal Malaysia Police Cyber Crimes division discussed ‘Addressing the Threat of Cyber Crime’. It was revealed that an MCMC report had found that 94 percent of children in Malaysia have been exposed to pornography on the internet!
Lisa, a popular actress and dedicated mother, shared her thoughts about the threats of cyberspace: “Kids as young as 6 are exposed to inappropriate content like hate messages, violence, and obscene materials. So let’s learn how to keep our children #cyberSAFE.”
The third session opened in the afternoon with UKM Faculty of Social Science and Humanities Senior Criminologist, Dr. Mohammad Rahim Kamaluddin and UKM Medical Centre Consultant Psychiatrist Prof. Madya Dr. Suzaily Wahab sharing expert insight into the ’Psycho-social Perspective of Cyber Crime.’
The fourth and final panel session of the day focussed on ‘Mitigating the Dangers of Cyber Threats’. On hand to discuss the topic in depth were DIGI CyberSAFE Principal, Philip Ling Oon Hun; USM Senior Criminologist and Psychologist, Dr. Geshina Ayu Mat Saat; and Shazril Helmi Samsudin from the Education Ministry’s Educational Technology Division.
The #cyberSAFE Seminar is a follow up of the ‘National Seminar on Sexual Offence Against Children – Stop” at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) in Kuala Lumpur on 13 & 14 March 2017.
#cyberSAFE stands for ‘Cyber Security Awareness for Everyone’ and is a dedicated program originally launched by CyberSecurity Malaysia, the national cyber security specialist centre under the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry, which aims to nurture the culture of cyber security amongst Malaysia’s rampantly growing Internet population.