STATEMENT BY
MR. BURHAN IRWAN CHEONG
NATIONAL CYBER SECURITY AGENCY OF MALAYSIA
GLOBAL MECHANISM ON DEVELOPMENTS IN THE FIELD OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES IN THE CONTEXT OF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY AND ADVANCING RESPONSIBLE STATE BEHAVIOUR IN THE USE OF ICTS
2026 SUBSTANTIVE PLENARY SESSION
AGENDA ITEM: DISCUSSIONS ON THE FIVE PILLARS OF THE FRAMEWORK FOR RESPONSIBLE STATE BEHAVIOUR IN THE USE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES IN ACCORDANCE WITH PARAGRAPH 9 OF ANNEX C OF A/79/214 AND ANNEX I OF A/80/257
EXISTING AND POTENTIAL THREATS
NEW YORK, 21 JULY 2026
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Thank you, Madam Chair.
Malaysia appreciates your leadership in guiding the work of the Global Mechanism, and we look forward to engage constructively on this agenda item.
Madam Chair, Malaysia’s national experience is, in many aspects, a reflection of the broader challenges identified in the OEWG final report and the five pillars of our framework. The threats we face, from sophisticated Advanced Persistent Threats (APT) to ransomware, are not unique to our region. They highlight the urgency of our collective work under this mechanism.
Existing and emerging threats in the field of ICTs continue to pose real challenges to international peace and security. Malicious cyber activities directly impact governments, businesses, and critical information infrastructure, with far-reaching implications for economic stability, public services, and the daily lives of our citizens.
Malaysia continues to observe malicious cyber activities across a wide range of sectors. Our national monitoring shows that a large share of reported incidents involve critical information infrastructure, most notably across trade and industry, government, agriculture and plantations, defence and security, healthcare, as well as banking and finance. This experience makes one thing clear, building the resilience of critical information infrastructure must remain a top priority for all of us.
At the same time, the threat landscape is growing more complex. From our own experience, APTs, followed closely by ransomware, remain among our most serious concerns. We are also tracking new risks tied to the misuse of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.
To stay ahead of longer-term risks, Malaysia is also preparing for the security implications of quantum computing, especially regarding current encryption systems. We are currently developing a national post-quantum cryptography migration plan focused on safeguarding critical information infrastructure. This work forms a core part of our broader strategy to build long term cyber resilience.
Madam Chair,
Malaysia believes our work under this pillar should focus on practical, grounded discussions that can help us collectively better understand the threat landscape. This may include sharing national experiences on how we protect critical assets, handle the threats of APTs and ransomware, and manage the risks of emerging technologies.
While national contexts differ, many of these challenges are common across States. Practical exchanges will help us improve readiness and meaningfully carry out the framework for responsible State behaviour in cyberspace.
Thank you, Madam Chair.