KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 10 — Cybercriminals are increasingly shifting their focus beyond mere data theft to disrupting people’s daily lives through attacks on physical systems and operational technology (OT).
National Cyber Security Agency (Nacsa) Chief Executive Dr Megat Zuhairy Megat Tajuddin said Malaysia was not exempt from this threat, particularly attacks targeting industrial control systems in the healthcare, energy, water supply and supply chain sectors.
Citing recent incidents in Europe, he said breaches that crippled supermarket operations and blood bank refrigeration systems demonstrated how a new generation of cyberattacks was deliberately designed to disrupt essential public services.
He said the situation had become more challenging with advances in artificial intelligence (AI), which enabled cybercriminals to launch automated and simultaneous intrusions against multiple organisations.
