Cyber Security Asia 2021 Brings Regional Experts Together Online

Digital transformation around the world has improved a great many everyday processes, and it has also handed criminals a new way to prey on an unsuspecting public. As people's use of technology has grown, cybercriminals have been able to operate with little restraint and cause serious damage to their victims.

Thomvell International returned with its two-day conference on 11 and 12 October 2021 to look at the trends and problems facing the region. Because of the conditions at the time, Cyber Security Asia 2021 was held as a live virtual event, bringing leading cybersecurity specialists together online. The programme was packed with interactive sessions and networking for experts and practitioners, and it showed current technologies and strategies for keeping people and organisations safe online. The organisers treated cybersecurity as a concern for every part of society: government, industry and individuals, with the aim of helping the community build a safer digital world.

"No such thing as 100% security"

The opening keynote was given by Dato' Ts Dr. Haji Amirudin Abdul Wahab, chief executive of CyberSecurity Malaysia, under the title "Cyber Transformation A Post Breach World". His central message was that "there is no such thing as 100% security". He called for a holistic view of cybersecurity and for security that is more innovative, proactive and adaptive. He also stressed closer partnerships among the public sector, the private sector and academia, together with collaboration at national and international level.

He closed by saying that "Malaysia should gear itself towards cyber resilience as the threat of a global cybersecurity breach continues to pose a major risk."

Panels on CISOs and data privacy

Two major panels ran on the first day. The first, "C-Suite & Beyond: Achieving Company-Wide Cyber Resilience", brought together Dr Amirudin; Col(R) Dato' Ts Dr Husin Jazri, SVP Cyber Security of Serba Dinamik Group and Chief Editor at ESPC; Tanvinder Singh, Cyber Security Director at PWC Malaysia; and Dr Carrine Teoh, Chief Security Officer at Bond Holdings. The discussion centred on why CISOs matter in the region today, and the panellists shared their views on how organisations monitor cybersecurity.

The second was an all-female panel on data privacy, titled "Are We Headed to Temple Of Doom? Data Privacy Past Present & Future". Other talks that day ranged across subjects from drones to people-centric security. With the whole conference online, the organisers also set up a virtual exhibition for the event's sponsors.