Hackers Attack KLIA System & Demand RM44mil, Authorities Launch Comprehensive Investigation

Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad’s (MAHB) digital system recently experienced a cyberattack, with hackers demanding a ransom payment of US$10 million (RM44,265,000).

According to BERNAMA, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim revealed this while ensuring that the government did not bow down to the hackers’ demands.

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“Yesterday (March 24), we talked about a cyber attack and hacking that was quite severe against MAHB just a day ago. There were discussions on how to resolve it, including a demand from the hackers for a US$10 million ransom,”

“I immediately responded with a ‘no’,”

“This country cannot be safe if its leadership and systems allow us to succumb to the ultimatum of criminals and traitors,” he said.

The cyberattack lasted for more than 10 hours

While the National Cyber Security Agency (NACSA) and Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) said that the cyberattack did not disrupt any operations, a source is saying otherwise.

Based on a report by NST, the cyberattack apparently lasted for more than 10 hours on Sunday (March 23).

The source shared that the cyberattack compromised KLIA’s critical systems, causing major delays and impacting flight schedules. The hackers allegedly interfered with flight information displays, check-in counters and baggage handling, forcing airport and airline staff to switch to manual operations.

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“However, authorities have yet to confirm the nature of the attack or identify the parties responsible. The situation was further compounded by the lack of a robust backup system, which slowed recovery efforts,” they said.

The flight display boards apparently experienced intermittent disruptions for 2 days following the cyberattack, before they returned to normal.

A source from the aviation industry said:

“Can’t say we weren’t affected. Thousands of people saw that the boards weren’t working.”

What do you think about this? Do feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.

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