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"I am confident that IMPACT…will be able to find effective solutions to the global threat of cyber terrorism," Abdullah said. (Reuters)
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CAIRO,
May 7, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) – Muslim heavyweight Malaysia will set
up the world's first center to fight cyber-terror and provide an
emergency response to high-tech attacks on economies and trading systems
worldwide, the daily New Straits Times reported on Sunday, May 7.
The
International Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber-Terrorism (IMPACT)
will conduct training and seminars for governments on the latest trends,
potential threats and emerging technologies.
"I
am confident that Impact, with the cooperation of governments and the
global private sector, will be able to find effective solutions to the
global threat of cyber terrorism," Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi
said at the close of the World Congress on Information Technology in
Austin, Texas.
IMPACT
headquarters will be sited at the high-tech hub of Cyberjaya outside the
Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.
It
will be modeled after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in
Atlanta which provides expertise on the handling of viruses and
outbreaks of diseases around the globe.
Emergency
Response
Abdullah
said IMPACT will provide a global emergency response system to help
governments who face an imminent cyber threat or those already in an
emergency situation.
"Today,
governments must be prepared to deal with threats in cyberspace,"
he added.
"Even
if one were to exclude the risk to life and limb, the economic loss
caused by a cyber attack can be truly severe, for example, a nationwide
blackout, collapse of trading systems or the crippling of a central
bank’s cheque clearing system," he elaborated.
"It
is imperative that countries throughout the world work in concert to
wipe out this danger," asserted the Malaysian premier.
Abdullah
said some of the world's big names, such as Symantec Corporation of the
United States, Japan’s MICRO and Russia’s Kapersky Lab, had agreed
to be partners and serve on IMPACT’s international advisory board.
"We
expect more such world-class companies to follow suit."
Abdullah
plans to write to heads of governments and inform them of this
initiative to fight cyber-terrorism.
IT
Center
In
another development, the IT giant Dell Inc decided to set up a
technology and development center in Cyberjaya.
The
facility will cover high value-added activities including process design
and software development.
It
will offer job opportunities for as many as 1,000 people over the next
few years.
Dell,
which first began manufacturing personal computers in the northern IT
hub of Penang in 1995, currently employs 4,000 people in Malaysia.
Its
products account for 28 percent of Malaysia's electronics exports and
contribute nearly seven percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product.
Dell
sells more systems globally than any computer company, placing it at
number 25 on the Fortune 500.
Malaysia
offers the image of a model Muslim country, heading towards the status
of developed nation with huge buildings, beautiful cities and a fast
track economy.
Abdullah
launched on Friday, March 31, an ambitious development plan for Malaysia
to become the first developed Muslim nation by 2020.
