The Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) has set up a new cybersecurity centre in its bid to protect its digital networks.

Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said the Cyber Defence Operation Centre (CDOC), which has been in the works since 2013, would be fully operational in September.

“I am happy to report that everything is in place, but they (CDOC) are on the conservative side. They need some time (until September) to do some pilot testing first, so that we are on the right track.

“But although it is still in pilot testing, that doesn’t mean they are not monitoring. They are still monitoring,” Hishammuddin told reporters at the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) in Kuala Lumpur today.

He made the announcement in conjunction with the launch of the ministry’s and Armed Forces’ cyber security awareness campaign today, after visiting CDOC this morning.

The campaign entails a roadshow at military camps and bases throughout Malaysia.

The centre is run by the Defence Staff Intelligence Division. Hishammuddin declined to reveal the number of personnel involved, but claimed that it is one of the best in the region.

Meanwhile, director-general of defence intelligence Lt-Gen Abdul Hadi Hussin said cyber defences are as important as defences on land, sea and air.

Over the past year, Abdul Hadi said, cyber-attacks have undermined the US presidential election and disrupted critical infrastructure in several European countries, among others.

Despite that, there are no rules of engagement in cyberspace that would define at which point a cyber-attack can be construed as an act of war.

He said there have been phishing attempts aimed at obtaining information on the policies of the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) and Mindef.

“Although these attacks on the networks have been foiled, we believe attempts had been made on private email accounts of key personnel in the Mindef and the ATM as well.

“It may have even succeeded without us realising it,” Abdul Hadi said.

As for CDOC, Abdul Hadi said the centre would monitor Mindef’s networks, as well as provide cyber-forensic services.

It would also test digital equipment and perform simulated cyber-attacks for training purposes.

He said the BSPP has also set up a team to perform offensive cyber operations.

“To develop ATM’s and Mindef’s capabilities in both fields (cyber attacks and defence), these initiatives are not only the beginning of efforts to protect Mindef’s and ATM’s critical networks from cyber-attacks and threats, but to build our ability to face a scenario where we have to wage war in cyberspace, or better known as ‘hybrid warfare’,” Abdul Hadi said.