THE Ministry of Communications and Digital is studying the need to create the post of data protection officer in organisations through the amendment of the Personal Data Protection Act (Act 709) to protect individual personal data. 

Minister Fahmi Fadzil said the matter was among those considered in the amendment of the act, which is expected to be tabled in parliament as early as this October. 

“One of the aspects we are looking at is the (need to have) data protection officer, as it is important for an organisation to protect their data…because this matter was also raised by (CyberSecurity Malaysia board of directors’ chairman) Tan Sri Dr Zulkifeli Mohd Zin. 

“We find that there is a need for data protection, but everything is subject to the feedback from stakeholders and the cabinet…if approved by the cabinet we will bring this amendment in October at the earliest or in March (next year) at the latest.”  

Fahmi said this after opening the Cyber Digital Services, Defence & Security Asia Expo and Conference 2023 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre today.  

Earlier in his keynote address, Fahmi said Malaysia had a shortfall of cybersecurity professionals and the government was working to improve support and pathways for professional cybersecurity education to address this. 

At the moment, he said there were only 15,248 cybersecurity knowledge workers in Malaysia, while according to the latest study conducted by the Department of Skills Development, the Centre for Instructor and Advanced Skill Training, and CyberSecurity Malaysia, Malaysia required at least 27,000 cybersecurity knowledge workers by the end of 2025. 

“There is an acute shortage of cybersecurity professionals who are not only sufficiently equipped with the right technical skills but who also possess creativity and deep understanding of both technology and human behaviour,” he said. 

Fahmi said ISC Squared Cybersecurity Workforce Study 2022 also reported that the global shortfall of cybersecurity knowledge workers currently stood at 3.4 million people. – Bernama, August 15, 2023.