Cybersecurity 101 in Malaysia

As we move towards a digital future in Malaysia and around the world, company networks become more important than ever before. As offices transition to homes, a company’s remote network has not just expanded, it is now more susceptible to cybersecurity attacks as well.

It’s easy to start off feeling like “it won’t happen to me”. Why should you invest money into cybersecurity if nothing terrible has happened to your enterprise so far? However, once you ARE the victim of a cybersecurity attack, it is too late. The subsequent consequences will be far-reaching, and it might be difficult to re-establish network security. Why not save yourself the hassle, and headache by enlisting a cybersecurity expert like AceTeam Networks to increase protection, so your employees can work anywhere, anytime, and from any device in the knowledge that they are secure?

When it comes to having an online presence for your business, one of the keywords you hear thrown around most often is cybersecurity. But the thing is, why should you invest more money into cybersecurity if nothing terrible has happened to your enterprise so far?
This blog post will discuss cybersecurity, and how it affects global businesses, and those located in Malaysia.

This blog post will discuss cybersecurity, and how to protect your business from attack, no matter if you’re based in Malaysia or beyond.

What is Cybersecurity, and why is it important?

Cyberattacks are attacks launched by malicious agents who might wish to access, steal or destroy sensitive information, extort money, and basically hold a company hostage in one way or another, interrupting their processes, and creating havoc. Some may even go to the extent of locking down a company’s entire network until a ransom is paid.

We’ll discuss the various threats below; however, these threats are constantly evolving because attackers are constantly innovating, so the list cannot be considered as exhaustive.

Cybersecurity is a set of practices that protect systems, networks, and programs from cyberattacks.

Cybersecurity is an unavoidable issue for both Chief Information Officers, and Chief Executive Officers. Especially in today’s global context where you might very well be in Malaysia, yet dealing with employees in Canada.

Cybersecurity threats around the world continue to rise at a rapid rate. RiskBased Security revealed that 7.9 billion records have been exposed by data breaches in 2019. In Malaysia, an average of 31 cases of cybersecurity attacks like fraud, hacking, and data breaches happen every single day.

It’s important to note that all businesses that use networks are vulnerable to attack. Retailers, public entities, and medical service providers may be at greater risk, being more appealing to cybercriminals as these entities collect sensitive information like financial, and medical data.

Cybersecurity helps protect your enterprise by ensuring that none of their information gets stolen due to unauthorized access, leading to enormous monetary losses, and unauthorized disclosure of information that could sway potential customers, and investors. In addition to that, cybersecurity also ensures that data remains intact in the event of a hardware malfunction, software bug, or even natural disaster.
With more than half of the earth’s population having access to the internet, there are bound to be a few bad actors who are keen on taking advantage of a poorly secure network to steal information. Some would even go to the extent of locking entire networks, effectively locking businesses out unless the victims pay a ransom.

Cybersecurity Myths You Should Not Fall For

Including the extremely common “It won’t happen to me” myth, here are some others that may well hinder you in your quest to become more secure, cyber-wise.

Cybercriminals are always malicious outsiders. On the contrary, cybersecurity breaches usually happen because of malicious insiders who are working together with hackers outside or even by themselves. These insiders may be part of large, well-organized collectives, backed by nation-states. We don’t mean to make you paranoid, but this is the reality.
The risks are well-documented, and known by all. In fact, thousands of new vulnerabilities are being reported every single day in both old, and new applications, and devices. And as technology evolves, so to do the risks. Also, do not discount the dangers of human error. Negligent employees or contractors could very well cause an unintentional data breach.
Attack vectors have been contained. Actually, the situation is dynamic. Cybercriminals are discovering new attack vectors all the time. As technology changes, cybersecurity threats change too. This includes Internet of Things devices, cloud environments, operational technology, and Linux systems. No device or system is 100% attack-proof.

I/My industry is not a target. In reality, every industry can be targeted. Nowadays, nearly every government or private sector organization utilizes communication networks, which means that they are all open to attack by savvy cybercriminals. For example, ransomware attacks (see below) are targeting more sectors nowadays, including local governments, and non-profits agencies. Threats on supply chains, “.gov” websites, and critical infrastructure have also increased.

Types of Cybersecurity Threats in Malaysia

Today, around 1 billion malware programs roam around the internet, with more than 560,000 new malware spotted daily. To put that into perspective, that’s nearly 7 new malware every single second.

While it may sound somewhat intimidating, they are usually categorized into around 6 classifications that are very well documented, making them much easier to detect by anti-malware software. These categories include:

1. Virus

Malicious software that spreads by duplicating itself, and attaching itself to other files available on the computer system. But that’s not all. It is also able to spread itself across the network, infecting more electronic devices in the process.

2. Trojans

Disguises itself as a legitimate program to trick users into keeping the files on their computers which will then relay data outside the network or cause damage from within.

3. Spyware (also known as keyloggers)

Relays information to cybercriminals by secretly recording a victim’s keystroke. Spywares are most often used to record account details such as login ID, and password, and credit data to make fraudulent purchases.

4. Ransomware

Similar to what was mentioned above. Ransomware like WannaCry, which made headlines a few years ago, functions by preventing users, and entire enterprises from accessing their data unless they pay a ransom. WannaCry was notorious because it also affected at least 40% of the healthcare institutes worldwide, causing complications to the treatment of patients.

5. Adware

Malicious advertisements are usually found on untrustworthy websites such as pop-ups, and banners to distribute malware by enticing users to click on them.

6. Botnets

Malware that runs malicious code without user intervention.

Other than malware, there are other more direct cybersecurity attacks like SQL Injection, where attackers exploit vulnerable networks, and inject malicious code into the database, giving them backdoor access to steal or even corrupt an enterprise’s data.

Furthermore, Phishing, and Man-in-the-middle tactics where attackers will pose as a legitimate entity to trick users into revealing confidential information.

Why should you hire a certified cybersecurity expert like AceTeam Networks?

When you’re under attack, you want the best cyber-defense experts on your side.

With all the threats mentioned above, the job of a cybersecurity expert is to mitigate or prevent threats from accessing, and harming the network, which could cause confidential information to get leaked to the public or loss of data. Cybersecurity experts will employ different types of cybersecurity measures ranging from network security, application security, operational security, and more to ensure that your enterprise’s information remains secure.

Not only that, but cybersecurity experts also come up with data preservation, and recovery solutions should a cyberattack occur. This solution includes storing the same data on a server located in a completely different geographical location, and the standard operating procedure should one of your data centers go down.

That all being said, AceTeam Networks is equipped with vast knowledge, technical know-how, and experience to ensure that your enterprise’s network remains secure. Having deployed over 500 system integrations and counting, you can partner with AceTeam Networks to fortify your enterprise security posture, and ensure you are protected from any cybersecurity threats.

AceTeam Networks is Malaysia’s premier network security expert. Our job is to ensure that you’re protected on all fronts, down to your weakest link. We want to help you protect your business, and your interests, so you feel secure enough to focus on what’s important : expanding your business.

How do we do that?

What are the cybersecurity solutions available in Malaysia?

Cybersecurity threats these days are getting a lot more complex, and you are going to need a lot more than anti-malware software to prevent your business from becoming a victim to these attacks. That said, there are many solutions from Palo Alto Networks, McAfee, WatchGuard, Sophos, and more that can help your business stay safe while operating in the current digital landscape.

First of the solutions worth mentioning is the Intrusion Prevention System (IPS), which functions by examining incoming, and outgoing network traffic, and springs into action whenever it detects a known attack signature. If a new signature is detected, it will then log the attack details, which will then be uploaded onto an ever-growing database for future reference.

Once a threat has been detected, the Intrusion Prevention System will notify the system administrator while simultaneously dropping all incoming, and outgoing malicious packets. It will then block all incoming traffic originating from the threat’s address and, if necessary, reset the entire enterprise’s network connection.

In addition, cybersecurity companies started employing machine learning, artificial intelligence, and global threat intelligence to analyze data collected from past breaches, and formulate a plan to stop future cybersecurity attacks. Because of that, cybersecurity experts can allocate more resources to more complicated, and pressing matters.

Cybersecurity is crucial for the safety, and future of your enterprise.

and should not be taken lightly. Not only that, with more businesses going digital in 2020, and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, cybercriminals are also growing in numbers as they look to profit off poorly maintained networks.
In addition to that, many staff members are required to work from home, which poses a huge cybersecurity risk as most home networks are not as secured compared to enterprise networks. All it takes is one infected network device could potentially affect the entire company’s network, halting all operations until the issue has been rectified.

Palo Alto Networks provides a comprehensive cybersecurity platform offering complete end-to-end security solutions like the Intrusion Prevention System, machine learning, data security, vulnerability assessment, and more. With that in mind, having all your cybersecurity needs in one place reduces the cost by a significant amount, and you’ll get a much better defense against threats because of Palo Alto Network’s seamless integration between solutions.

Palo Alto Networks’ cybersecurity platform offers simplicity in its design, which reduces the resource required to operate, and reduces latency, allowing security teams to react with speed, and agility while reducing cost by using existing hardware.

With more than 59,000 users currently utilizing Palo Alto Network’s Threat Prevention solution, and other products such as WildFire, URL Filtering, DNS Security, Panorama, and more. Your enterprise is in good hands when it comes to staying safe from potential cybersecurity threats.

But that’s not all, AceTeam Networks also offer cybersecurity solutions from Fortinet, WatchGuard, and more, giving you the option to pick the solution that best suits your enterprise’s needs.

With all that being said, if you want to find out more information, you can request a consultation with AceTeam Networks, Malaysia’s premier network security expert now!

cybersecurity malaysia