Malaysia needs to strengthen its digital forensics capabilities to ensure the country can not only protect digital infrastructure but also investigate cybercrimes, preserve digital evidence and support legal proceedings.
As the digital economy expands, demand for cybersecurity expertise is growing across businesses, financial institutions, government agencies and the public.
However, when cyber incidents occur, investigators must determine what happened, identify the methods used, preserve evidence and produce findings that can support legal processes.
The Government has therefore been urged to consider a dedicated investment programme under Budget 2027 to expand Malaysia’s cyber forensic workforce, strengthen investigative capabilities and develop a sustainable pipeline of local specialists.
One proposal is to establish Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as an additional pathway into cyber forensics through specialised programmes, micro-credentials, laboratory training and industry placements.
TVET institutions could offer training in digital evidence handling, device examination, mobile forensics, network analysis, incident response and forensic laboratory procedures.
Investment should also be directed towards digital forensic laboratories and modern investigative equipment to support the examination of computers, mobile devices, networks, cloud-based evidence and other digital artefacts.
The Government could also establish a national cyber forensic training and certification initiative involving universities, law enforcement agencies and industry players, while providing clearer career pathways and continuing professional development for specialists.
Training should also address emerging challenges involving artificial intelligence, cloud computing, encrypted communications and connected devices.
Strengthening cyber forensic talent, technology and infrastructure would help Malaysia improve its ability to investigate digital crimes, preserve reliable evidence and reinforce the resilience of its digital economy.
-MINUTESMY
