Mindmatics taps youth power to strengthen nation’s cyber defence
News Source: New Straits Times
KUALA LUMPUR: Local defence firm Mindmatics Sdn Bhd is tapping into the power of young talent to strengthen Malaysia’s future cyber defence capacity, with its sponsorship of a Capture the Flag (CTF) competition at the Siber Siaga event at CyberDSA 2025.
Mindmatics director Abdul Wahab Sulaiman said the initiative reflects the growing importance of cyberspace in national security, with much of today’s world no longer confined to the physical domain.
“Most aspects of life are now controlled by the cyber world. In Malaysia, there is still much work to be done to encourage more players to grow and get involved.
“By sponsoring this competition, we are not only helping to stimulate the cyber economy, but also identifying new talent that can one day safeguard the nation,” he said.
Wahab said talent cultivation should begin earlier, from secondary school, but exposure at the university stage was already a crucial step forward.
“We hope that young people see this activity from a positive perspective, and take action to protect themselves and ultimately the country,” he said.
He also said that cyber competitions allow young Malaysians to experience real-world challenges.
“By organising events like this, we can attract more participants. The idea is to inspire them to compete, win and achieve something. Along the way, they face the kind of challenges that exist in real cyber warfare,” he said.
Wahab added that Mindmatics’ outreach goes beyond CTF competitions as they also sponsor cyber awareness and skills programmes for primary and secondary schools under its CyberHero initiative.
“We hope to create greater awareness among the younger generation, so Malaysia can develop a broader pool of cyber talent and ultimately build some of the best teams in the world,” he said.
In addition, Mindmatics is at the early stage of developing home grown cyber applications that will enhance Malaysia capability in protecting its own sovereignty.
Mindmatics technical, operations and project manager Abd Rahim Mat Sidek said the competition drew strong interest, with 100 teams registering and 75 qualifying for the preliminary rounds.
“Out of these, 20 teams advanced to the finals, joined by three professional teams to heighten the challenge.
“The final saw teams from institutions such as Universiti Selangor (Unisel), Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (APU) and Universiti Teknologi Mara UiTM”.
He said competitions like these allow Mindmatics to identify promising talents and bring them into its protégé programme, which exposes them to industry standards and provides mentoring opportunities.
“Technical ability is important, but attitude and teamwork matter just as much. We look for independence and initiative because in cybersecurity, you must be able to defend and attack on your own capability,” he said.
Rahim said promising talents are also offered internships to ensure continuity, even while still studying.
“We don’t stop them if they later choose to join other industries such as oil and gas or banking. What matters is that they step into the cyber world with the right skills and spirit,” he said.
The competition concluded with Universiti Selangor (Unisel) taking the top prize of RM6,000 through the efforts of students Nik Badrul Munir Nik Sahazeman, Muhammad Firdaus Amran and Muhammad Shariff Umar.
The first runner-up spot went to Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), whose team of Tan Sin Chee, Lee Wei Song and Megat Muhammad Zafran Megat Muazzam received RM3,000.
In third place was Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (APU), represented by Ruhan Aidan Amaradasa, Lee Kuang Weng and Wong Wei Jie, who took home RM1,800.