Air Force chief General Tan Sri Datuk Seri Mohd Asghar Khan Goriman Khan (left) said developed since 2019, ADAM had obtained the Malaysian Cryptography Validation from CyberSecurity Malaysia on Sept 30. - NSTP/OWEE AH CHUN
Air Force chief General Tan Sri Datuk Seri Mohd Asghar Khan Goriman Khan (left) said developed since 2019, ADAM had obtained the Malaysian Cryptography Validation from CyberSecurity Malaysia on Sept 30. - NSTP/OWEE AH CHUN

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) has developed the first local cryptography product known as Armed Forces Dedicated Algorithm (ADAM) to strengthen the nation cybersecurity.

Air Force chief General Tan Sri Datuk Seri Mohd Asghar Khan Goriman Khan said developed since 2019, ADAM had obtained the Malaysian Cryptography Validation from CyberSecurity Malaysia on Sept 30.

He said ADAM was developed by MAF through its Defence Cyber and Electromagnetic division with the cooperation of CyberSecurity Malaysia, National Cyber Security Agency, Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit, local companies and universities.

"With ADAM, it will reduce MAF dependency on foreign products and at the same time raising the credibility of local companies in empowering the national defense industry as required by the Defence White Paper and the National Cryptography Policy.

"We hope that it will continue to expand and be used widely by other cyber agencies in the country," he said this in his opening speech at Siber Siaga 2022 programme here today.

Asghar Khan was representing MAF chief General Tan Sri Affendi Buang.

Later, in a press conference, the Defence Cyber and Electromagnetic Division director-general Datuk Shamsuddin Ludin said ADAM was aimed to strengthen network, application security and communication security of the security agencies and other government agencies.

On the Siber Siaga 2022 programme held on Dec 19 and Dec 20, Shamsuddin described it as an event implementing the "Whole of Government and Whole of Society" approach.

He emphasised that such an approach was imperative as the Internet was a borderless world.

"If this subject (cybersecurity) is not being strengthened, not only from the perspective of technology, but also cooperation and understanding, this (Internet) world will eventually collapse.

"Everyone is using Internet in their daily life, such as social media and online banking. If the awareness is lacking, that will pose as a threat in the nation's security and sovereignty one day," he said.