KUALA LUMPUR, 17 MAY 2017: In view of the alarming spread of the WannaCry Ransomware cyber attack, the National ICT Association of Malaysia (PIKOM) is advising all to stay vigilant and exercise the necessary precautions against being victims of this malicious security risk.
To date, PIKOM has neither received any reports/alerts from our 1,000 plus members that they have been hit by WannaCry Ransomware, nor have any members reported that their clients have been issued a ransom.
This is expected in cases like this as many would rather keep a low profile and hope the issue blows over. However, these issues cannot be swept under the carpet. Organisations must take necessary steps to prevent and thwart cyber attacks.
Firstly, ensure that your assets are protected. Having the right tools to guard against attacks and intrusions are vital. Second, ensure that your staff are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to deal with cyber attacks.
Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and Heads of IT Departments play an integral part in protecting their organisations against cyber attacks. Their roles must be recognised by any organisation in this digital age.
Companies must take a serious view on cyber attacks and should not compromise when they decide to engage knowledgeable CIO or IT security experts to prevent these attacks which come in many forms and mutations.
A company should plan a good cyber security defence which will involve a proper business risk assessment; installation of appropriate IT security policy and procedures; deploying the right security technologies; ensuring compliance, constantly monitoring the environment, educating the employees, alerting and responding to security incidents quickly; and conducting forensic and root cause investigation. Malaysian companies cannot take a ‘wait and see’ attitude any more.
We are encouraged by the efforts of the Malaysia Computer Emergency Response Team under the national agency CyberSecurity Malaysia in providing up to date alerts, advisories and assistance to affected organisations and individual users to address this grave situation.
The latest advisory on the WannaCry Ransomware can be found in the following link
https://www.mycert.org.my/en/services/advisories/mycert/2017/main/detail/1263/index.html
PIKOM is also inviting companies and agencies to consult with us on this issue, as the association has formed an information security committee which comprise major cybersecurity players in Malaysia. They can email us at info@pikom.org.my for any enquiries.
PIKOM Chairman Chin Chee Seong