Malaysia’s cybersecurity landscape is entering one of its most transformative periods yet. With ransomware cases surging by 78% in Q4 2024, only 4% of organisations achieving “Mature” cybersecurity readiness (Cisco 2025 Security Benchmark), and the Cyber Security Act 2024 now fully in force, organisations are under unprecedented pressure to strengthen their digital resilience.
But the biggest shift isn’t just in the threat landscape — it’s in what organisations now expect from their CISOs.
Once seen primarily as technical defenders, today’s CISOs in Malaysia are being pushed into a strategic leadership role, one that blends security, digital transformation, regulatory interpretation, risk management, and business value creation. As more Malaysian companies depend on cloud, AI, data sharing, and hyper-connected ecosystems, cybersecurity can no longer operate in a silo or serve as a back-office function.
Instead, organisations now need CISOs who can:
This evolution is especially visible across industries like energy, aviation, banking, and telco — all represented in this year’s CISO Malaysia executive panel — where cybersecurity teams are embedded into product development, data governance, and digital strategy conversations.
The Tension Every Modern CISO Faces
Today’s Malaysian CISOs stand at a crossroads:
On one side lies the day-to-day firefighting: phishing spikes, ransomware groups targeting critical infrastructures, cloud misconfigurations, AI misuse, and legacy systems that refuse to retire.
On the other side lies the strategic horizon: building secure-by-design architectures, implementing Zero Trust, operationalising compliance, reducing technical debt, and guiding AI innovation safely.
Balancing the two has become the defining challenge — and this tension is reshaping how cybersecurity function is resourced, governed, and measured.
Why This Conversation Matters Now
As Malaysia accelerates its digital economy ambitions and prepares for large-scale national cybersecurity upgrades, the CISO role will only become more pivotal. CISO Malaysia 2026 brings together some of the country’s most influential cyber leaders—from energy, aviation, financial services, manufacturing, and telecommunications—to unpack how they are navigating this shift while preparing their organisations for the next wave of disruption.
This isn’t just about protecting systems.
It’s about building enterprise trust, national resilience, and future-ready leadership.
Join us at CISO Malaysia 2026 to learn more about the latest challenges and developments for infosec executives in the country. Reach out to Eleen Meleng to learn more.