LETTERS: Recent years have seen an increase in cyberattacks worldwide, including in Malaysia.
The Malaysia Computer Emergency Response Team (MyCERT) stated that more than 8,000 incidents were reported in 2020 related to cybercrime.
What's more terrifying is that cybercrime cases escalated by 82.5 per cent since the start of the Movement Control Order with an estimated loss of RM200 million.
Cybercrime is defined as any illegal activity that involves a computer or any digital device, and computer network. Among the prominent crimes are distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, malware, identity thefts, spoofing and phishing scams.
The perpetrators target individuals or companies for financial gain, sabotaging or disrupting operations for personal satisfaction, devastating businesses and affecting essential services, as well as individuals.
Cybercriminals constantly use new techniques to carry out fraudulent online activity, targeting those who are not savvy when it comes to using digital devices.
Oftentimes, victims are negligent with their day-to-day online activities, including forgetting usernames and/or passwords, using passwords that are easy for hackers to crack and unpremeditated posting of confidential information on social media.
The Covid-19 pandemic lockdown triggered an unprecedented growth in digital and e-commerce sectors that accelerated digital transformation worldwide.
What's more, online businesses boomed during the MCO period that led to a higher volume of online transactions.
There are serious consequences if cybercrime is overlooked due to negligence.
For example, when you purchase a book online, you have to provide personal data such as name, address, contact number, as well as credit card and payment details. This information is valuable to hackers.
Failing to secure your personal information could cause not only financial and information losses but also jeopardise your reputation.
In short, cybersecurity is not about being tech-savvy, but rather being alert when personal information is shared via a computer network.
The impact of cybercrime on a retail supply chain is a breach of a buyer's information leading to a loss of a seller's or retailer's reputation.
Online businesses may be convenient, cost-efficient and profitable but all employees must be educated on the importance of cybersecurity.
To protect yourself from cyber-attack, here are some proactive steps to take:
FIRST, never give out personal data over the phone or email unless you are sure that the network is secure;
SECOND, do not open attachments in your email or message from unknown sources;
THIRD, do not download links from spam emails or unidentified sources;
FOURTH, always do a background search on the authenticity of an organisation that you are in business with;
FIFTH, use strong and unique passwords that are hard to guess and do not note them down anywhere to ensure that they are secure;
SIXTH, use an antivirus software and operating system to detect, prevent and remove malware, thus fending off cybercriminals lurking to snitch your personal data.
SHAHFIQ NASHRAH M. ASHRAH
Senior executive (Apps Services), ITMS Department, Universiti Teknologi Petronas
PROFESSOR DR VEERA PANDIYAN KALIANI SUNDRAM
Faculty of Business and Management, Universiti Teknologi Mara; president, Malaysia Logistics and Supply Chain Association
PROFESSOR DR JAAFAR PYEMAN
Director, Institute of Business Excellence, UiTM
The views expressed in this article are the authors' own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times