Malaysian PM Says "No Way" to $10 Million Ransom After Alleged Cyber Attack Against Kuala Lumpur Airport

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has refused to pay a staggering $10 million ransom demanded by hackers who allegedly paralysed operations at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), according to reports.

In a speech on Tuesday, Anwar described his swift response to the crisis, saying "When I was informed about this ... I did not wait five seconds. I said no." The Prime Minister emphasized that there would be no compromise when it comes to giving in to cyber threats, stating "There is no way this country will be safe if its leaders and system allow us to bow to ultimatums by criminals and traitors, be it from inside or outside the country."

Former Malaysian Member of Parliament Wee Choo Keong claimed that systems at KLIA were "down for more than 10 hours", disrupting flight information display boards, check-in counters, and baggage handling services. He shared a photo on Twitter of airport staff using whiteboards to list flight details for travellers, suggesting electronic systems had been severely impacted.

However, not all social media users shared Wee Choo Keong's account, posting images of flight information boards at Kuala Lumpur's airport that appeared to be working normally. This has led some to speculate that the true nature of the problem may have been exaggerated.

A joint statement by Malaysia Airports and the country's National Cyber Security Agency (NACSA) denied that operations at KLIA had been significantly impacted, contradicting Wee Choo Keong's claims. The agencies acknowledged a cyber attack against computer systems at the airport but provided no further details about the breach.

Anwar's response to the incident underscores the importance of investing more resources into defending Malaysia against hacking attacks, particularly for critical infrastructure such as airports and financial institutions.

Unfortunately, no detailed information has been released about the security breach. Although the attack bears all the hallmarks of a ransomware attack, at the time of writing no hacking group has claimed responsibility.

This incident is not an isolated one. In 2018, Bristol Airport in the UK found itself forced to use whiteboards after a cyber attack, highlighting the vulnerability of critical infrastructure to such threats.