THE recent brouhaha over Mossad’s involvement in the abduction of Hamas members has led to further debates over our hypocrisy in our security preparedness.

While the recent exposé has seen a knee-jerk reactionary spectrum from all parties, it risks bypassing the broader criticality of our scope and honesty in defending our rights and sovereignty.

Our entrenched disdain for Israel has led to calls for more actions from the government.

The same, however, cannot be said for the equal threat settings posed by different players and countries.

When a brazen operation is executed by a common enemy, who is universally disliked, such as Israel, the knee-jerk and array of condemnations have been quick, but almost equally if not more consequential actions taken by other state players have been met with regretfully subdued responses, at most discreetly.

Our national sovereignty and interests are of the highest priority and non-negotiable at any costs, regardless of our ties or dependence on certain powers.

If we are quick to condemn the blatant display of disregard for our sovereignty as a country in these incursions by Mossad for the past years, and the assassination of Kim Jong-un’s half-brother, Kim Jong-nam in 2017, we must have equal will and audacity of actions in both highlighting the actions taken by other countries in similar purpose of infringing upon our rights and pillars as a sovereign nation.

These fundamental pillars are not to be bartered with.

No level of economic returns can be justified for lowering our guard, or worse, tolerating foreign powers threatening our sovereignty.

China remains in this picture of concern and trap for Malaysia.

According to Insikt Group, the threat research arm of Recorded Future, one of the world’s largest intelligence and cybersecurity company, Malaysia is among the targets, including Indonesia and Vietnam, of intrusion campaigns in support of key strategic aims of the Chinese government, including gathering intelligence on nations engaged in the South China Sea dispute or on projects or countries strategically important to the Belt and Road Initiative.

The report also highlighted a group called APT40, linked to the Chinese government, that has targeted maritime entities with operations in the region or involved with the sea dispute.

The hackers focused on the offices of the Thai and Malaysian prime ministers as well as their militaries, as outlined in the report.

The report identified more than 400 unique servers in Southeast Asia communicating with infected networks that were likely linked to Chinese state-sponsored actors.

Many of the activities have been attributed to a Chinese state-sponsored entity labelled Threat Activity Group 16.

The report stated that the scale and scope of China’s cyber espionage programme remain unrivalled, exemplified by the large number of actors with operational taskings within specific geographic regions.

FBI director Christopher Wray warned companies that China aims to steal intellectual property so it can eventually dominate key industries and that it operated a well-resourced hacking programme that is bigger than that of every other major country combined.

Proofpoint also pointed to an ongoing phishing campaign lasting more than a year that has been aimed at our gas fields owned by Petronas, including the Kasawari gas field, singling out a group known as TA423 based in China.

A Reuters report on statements by intelligence officials uncovered hackers working for the Chinese government breaking into telecoms networks to track Uighur travellers in Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, a few years ago further highlighted the scope and intensity of the wider cyber-espionage campaign and threats targeting high-value individuals, including diplomats and foreign military personnel, according to the sources.

Chinese hackers have compromised telecoms operators in countries, including Malaysia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, India and Thailand, as pointed out by the sources in the report.

US cybersecurity company Volexity published a report detailing what it said were Chinese efforts to hack the phones and email accounts of Uighurs around the world.

Jeremy Fleming, director of the GCHQ spy agency of Britain, stated last week in his annual security lecture that China is using its financial and scientific muscle to manipulate technologies in a manner that risks global security, warning that Beijing’s actions could represent a huge threat to all.

Chinese leadership seeks to use technologies, including digital currencies, and its Beidou satellite navigation platform to tighten its grip over its citizens at home while spreading its influence abroad.

As Fleming pointed out, Beijing sees nations from a two-pronged viewpoint, either as potential adversaries or potential client states, to be threatened, bribed or coerced into the expected actions or policiesto suit its interests.

Fleming highlighted technologies where China is seeking to gain leverage, including the development of a centralised, digital currency to allow it to monitor the transactions of users, and possibly evade the sort of sanctions Russia has faced since the Ukraine invasion.

This digital and cyber threat spectrum is just one part of the much larger threat equation now facing us and other nations which could intensify should we remain indifferent.

The combination of direct and indirect intrusions and threats in this digital form, synergised with the conventional form of coercion, pressure and intimidation, are detrimental to our survival, interests and sustainability.

True happenings on the ground have been recorded and documented, but met with subdued responses by most of the affected nations, including Malaysia.

Knowing that we need to continue to solicit China’s capital and expertise to progress, especially in the digital field, Beijing seeks to seize on this to extend its leadership in this digital sector and squeeze our options.

For years, the West has warned of the implications and risks from over-reliance on Chinese tech firms and expertise, including suspicions and risks posed by firms, including Huawei, that have led to limitations on the West’s pandering, but we remain aloof and hapless in our orientations.

Threats of this nature alone are alarming, and we have not even started a deep dive into the risks of Chinese apps and social media platforms that have raised alarms in the West, particularly TikTok to sensitive data management that could be used for Beijing’s interests.

This is on top of the bigger threats coming from Beijing’s bellicose and coercive tactics in the South China Sea and the various incidents that have violated our sovereignty and territorial integrity over the decade.

What are the cost-benefit calculations on our digital overdrive and in facing this onslaught of offerings and enticements in our current scramble for digital economy uplifting?

Have we done impartial, honest and future-driven strategic projections on our security and survival?

For us, unless and until we have public awareness and willingness to call for reasonable engagement and action, we will remain trapped by fear, submission and unwillingness to create new future-led solutions.

It remains to be seen whether China’s actions would have the same condemnations that followed Mossad’s actions. – October 24, 2022.

* Collins Chong Yew Keat reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.