KUALA LUMPUR – A total allocation of RM80 million under Budget 2025 will be provided by the Madani government to strengthen the nation’s cybersecurity and to curb the issue of cyberbullying which has been plaguing the country.
When tabling Budget 2025 in the Dewan Rakyat today, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (Tambun-PH) also announced that the role of the National Fraud Response Centre (NFRC) will continue to be intensified with an allocation of RM20 million.
The allocation will fund the establishment of a National Fraud Portal aimed at combating online fraud and enabling the NFRC to detect suspicious transactions automatically.
In line with the commitment to uphold the country’s cybersecurity and the enactment of the Cyber Security Act 2024, the National Cyber Security Agency (Nacsa) will be allocated an additional RM10 million and 100 new personnel.
Anwar, who is also the finance minister, revealed that suspicious transactions amounting to over RM380 million have been successfully blocked, helping to curb scam cases in Malaysia.
Additionally, Anwar announced that artificial intelligence-related education will be expanded to all research universities, with an allocation of RM50 million – an increase of RM20 million compared to last year’s allocation.
The National Artificial Intelligence Office will receive RM10 million to boost efforts to increase the use of AI through collaboration with academia and industry.
Universiti Putra Malaysia will establish the Malaysian Cryptology Technology and Management Centre in collaboration with Nacsa to pursue quantum computing AI in preparation for complex cybersecurity threats.
Anwar also added that the Digital Transformation Policy Framework has successfully attracted inward investment, with Malaysia securing investments totalling US$16.9 billion (RM7.24 billion) for the period up to 2038 from global technology giants AWS, Microsoft, Google, and Oracle. – October 18, 2024