In late 2019, Parliament approved the White Paper on Defence. Among the recommendations was that Putrajaya be extra vigilant against possible cyberattacks on critical national infrastructure.
In an increasingly digital interdependent world, criminals look for ransom, and state actors and their proxies seek to exploit defence vulnerabilities in cyberspace to gain strategic advantages during times of crisis.
We use cyberspace to store data on critical aspects of national power, believing they are safe there.
Little do we realise that broadband has become a favourite spot for hackers seeking vulnerabilities in the highly integrated computer network that is powered by the Internet.
A security breach in any device in the network can endanger our economy and jeopardise the security of the whole nation.
The government must think of a more proactive strategy to deal with cyberattacks.
Few countries in the world have water-tight defence mechanisms against cyberattacks, with one happening every 39 seconds in the United States.
A recent attack this month by a group of criminals from Eastern Europe on Colonial Pipeline, a company that supplies oil and gas to the eastern coast of the US, put the company in two minds whether or not to pay the ransom.
According to Bloomberg, the company eventually paid the hackers US$5 million to restore its operations.
The cyberattacks on Estonia (2007) and Georgia (2008) put both states out action for weeks when their computer network systems and the data of critical national infrastructure were compromised.
Exactly who was behind the cyberattacks was not known.
Both governments blamed Russia for the attacks, but Moscow denied any involvement.
Similarly, in Georgia, Russian forces mounted cyber operations before bombing the villages and cities in South Ossetia.
Another emerging security threat in
cyberspace are lethal autonomous weapons powered by artificial intelligence (AI).
The modern versions that include killer robots and mini-suicide or Kamikaze drones are extremely lethal.
These weapons use facial recognition data to destroy targets.
Some irresponsible parties have used AI weapons to interfere with global navigational systems.
Kamikaze or suicide drones are "loitering munitions".
Fitted with cameras, these unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) "loiter" in the air to gather and relay intelligence to troops on the ground.
They are capable of self-detonation to destroy targets.
In the past, states were reluctant to show off their AI and cyberweapons in their arsenal for obvious reasons.
They are now more willing to use them against military targets to gain operational advantages.
For example, the US deployed cyberweapons to disable Iranian maritime operations in the Gulf of Hormuz in June 2019.
The attack on Iran's computer network was an immediate response to the downing of the US Global Hawk surveillance drone by an air-to-air missile in the Strait of Hormuz.
Defence against cyberattacks requires a holistic approach.
It requires strong commitment from both society and the nation.
Everyone must play a role in achieving national cyber resilience.
This means everyone needs to get involved in preventing, detecting, and defeating cyberattacks to ensure business and political survivability.
The threat from AI and cyberweap-
ons can no longer be swept under the carpet.
While the nation must invest more in new technologies and human talent, the nature of the threat requires global cooperation.
Malaysia needs to be active in international forums, like the United Nations, to push for regulations in cyberspace and AI applicability, for example.
Putrajaya should also work with other member states of the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) for
a region-wide solution, while strengthening national resilience in cyber matters.
Apart from Asean, Malaysia needs to strengthen cyberspace cooperation with major powers in the region like China and Japan, as well as the US.
These countries have state-of-the-art technology that we can learn from.
Putrajaya should also team up with Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Singapore via the Five Power Defence Arrangement on cyberspace cooperation, especially in the field of cyber intelligence.
The writer is a keen student of geopolitics