Malaysia Cyber Attack: Security Council Confirms Disruptions at Several Financial Institutions, Names None

Malaysia's National Security Council (MKN) said on the night of 7 November that the National Cyber Security Agency (NACSA) has noted cybersecurity incidents and system disruptions involving several financial institutions. It didn't name the institutions, say how many there were, or say whether any customer data or money was touched. The national cyber threat level stays at Moderate, and the council described the situation as "under control".

Bank Rakyat said its website was defaced late on 6 November. Communications minister Fahmi Fadzil said the next day that hackers defaced a third-party-managed bank site but took no data. The council's statement speaks of several institutions.

What the statement says

NACSA's National Cyber Coordination and Command Centre is tracking the situation continuously, Sinar Harian reported. Bank Negara Malaysia, as lead agency for banking and finance, is taking "langkah kesiapsiagaan yang menyeluruh dan bersepadu" (full, coordinated preparedness measures), which include watching the security of the critical information infrastructure operators it supervises. The council says essential services continue to operate smoothly.

The viral threat map

Earlier on 7 November a screenshot of FortiGuard Labs' live threat map spread on Malaysian social media, showing attack traffic aimed at Cyberjaya, Shah Alam and Petaling Jaya, alongside posts claiming Malaysians had struck back. Sinar Harian noted that such a map shows attempts, mostly against web servers and routers, and doesn't prove that anything was breached. FMT reported that the map ranked Malaysia 18th among the top 20 targeted countries.

The council told the public not to believe or spread unverified claims regarding cyberattacks, including viral posts.

Where the threat level stands

NACSA raised the level from Low to Moderate on 4 November, the day after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim warned Parliament that Malaysia could be a target. Critical infrastructure operators were given nine preparedness measures, among them round-the-clock monitoring, patching and multi-factor authentication.

What bank customers are told

For anything about their own accounts, the council tells customers to rely on official government channels, Bank Negara and their own financial institutions.