Govt Must Restore Public Confidence Over Mykad Following Allegations Of Data Breach

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THE MyKad data of 17 million Malaysians has allegedly been leaked and is being sold on the dark web, according to news reports.
Allegations surfaced with samples of ID information reportedly shared online to verify authenticity. The agency has emphasised taking these allegations seriously and coordinating with relevant authorities to assess and mitigate the situation.
The government must reassure the public of its commitment to safeguarding personal data integrity. It is responsible for keeping these data safe, an if a breach of security occurs the people will lose confidence in the government, thus leading to dire consequences.
How this could have happened
A MyKad data leak could happen due to vulnerabilities in systems managing personal data. The potential causes for this shameful scenario can be due to several reasons.
Weak cybersecurity measures which has insufficiently secured databases could be exploited by hackers. It could be an insider threats where employees with access to sensitive data might misuse or sell it to potential buyers
There could be third-party breaches where data shared with external service providers might be compromised if their systems lack robust security.
An outdated technology legacy system which is not able to meet modern security standards leaves the databases vulnerable to attacks, phishing or malware attacks targeted to extract sensitive information.
To prevent such incidents from happening again in the future the government must resolve the matter by immediately implementing continuous system audits, stronger encryptions, employee training, and strict data-sharing policies.
What needs to be done to restore public confidence
Rectifying a data breach like the alleged MyKad leak requires a multi-step approach to address the immediate risks and prevent future incidents.
The immediate response should be to contain the breach by identifying and isolating affected systems to prevent further data exposure.
A thorough investigation need to conducted thorough audit to determine the extent and source of the breach and the authorities must be notified, collaborating with cybersecurity agencies and law enforcement. The culprit must be brought to book and severe punishment must be meted.
The public must be alerted by mitigating and informing affected individuals by advising on protective measures like monitoring financial activities.
All data must immediately be removed from the dark web by working with cybersecurity experts to suppress leaked data online.
There must be long-term solutions to be implemented in order to prevent future occurrences. The security need to be upgraded by implementing advanced encryption, firewalls, and intrusion detection systems.
There must be policy overhaul by strengthening data protection laws and heavy penalties for breaches. The training of employee by educating staff on cybersecurity best practices and insider threat prevention should be instilled.
There is definitely a loss of public confidence following the incident, so trust needs to be rebuilt by introducing next-gen MyKad technology with enhanced security features.
There must be transparency about measures taken to secure data. These actions must be swift and coordinated to safeguard personal data and restore public confidence, failing which the trust deficit which is very prevalent among the public will be further increased, affecting the nation. 
 
K.T Maran is a FocusMalaysia viewer.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of  MMKtT.
- Focus Malaysia.

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