Ramlan Mahmod, dean of the Universiti Putra Malaysia Computer Science and Information Technology Faculty, said that foreign software could introduce the risk of data leakage and intelligence breaches because of a lack of understanding of the source code in Malaysia.
"At the moment, there is no software capable of checking the source code of software to ensure the software used is confirmed safe….The country needs to acquire 'technical knowhow' in information security and expertise in various fields such as computer science, mathematics and engineering", Mahmod told the Malaysian national news agency Bernama.
To develop the expertise, Malaysia needs to put more resources into training information security experts and transferring more external technology into the country, he said.
Mahmod advised the government to play a major role in setting up a strong system of cyber defense in the form of financial commitment, expertise, legislation, and continuous network monitoring.
"Cybersecurity is the same as national security involving many operational aspects such as prevention, defense, detecting, intelligence, and attack. It also needs sophisticated technical knowledge in information security and continuous upgrading of capability, considering hackers are also improving their attacks", he stressed.