Tap the best talents to protect our personal data

I REFER to the report “Probe on massive mobile leak” ( The Star, Oct 31). Nowadays, we often hear of data breaches and it is apparently a serious national problem. Unfortunately, Budget 2018 does not highlight the significance of the IT industry and the important role of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

It was reported that the security of personal data of over 46 million mobile subscribers in our country is at risk after what is believed to be one of the largest data breaches in Malaysia.

If this is true, MCMC needs to step in immediately to inform the public about the implications and consequences of this data breach. It is really frightening to know that our personal data might have been hacked and could be in the hands of scammers and swindlers.

Perhaps MCMC should formally request the Prime Minister to revise the budget and ask for more funds to employ IT security specialists and analysts to keep our data secure.

Building stronger partnerships between IT employers and colleges and universities can help to train the next generation of security personnel more effectively. These relationships can foster expanded internship programmes offering sophisticated skills to address breaches of our sensitive data.

The powers that be should take immediate steps to invest in IT. For starters, Talent Corp could bring back our overseas IT experts.

We have no choice but to offer higher salaries to the best security experts.

Besides, MCMC ought to upgrade its technology – hardware and software – so that our data would not be so susceptible to these attacks.

It is heartening to note that the national budget has emphasised the importance of STEM in our education system. Naturally, we should spend more, especially on IT education.

Currently, part of the problem stems from a disconnect between the institutions of higher learning and private companies, resulting in most graduates having little knowledge of IT.

At the end of the day, MCMC must stay ahead of the hackers, and for this to happen more IT specialists should be employed immediately regardless of their countries of origin.

In a nutshell, we had better think and act globally, that is to tap the best talents and humbly seek advice from IT experts from abroad.

THOMAS KOK Ipoh