Investigating the awareness of cyber security among individuals in Malaysia
Mohammed Abdulsalam Abdo · International Journal of Innovative Research and Publications · 2025
Cyber-attacks represent one of the most rapidly growing forms of crime globally, marked by increasing scale, complexity, and financial impact. A significant component of these attacks is social engineering, a tactic where attackers manipulate individuals into revealing confidential information that can then be used for fraudulent purposes. Social engineering exploits the human factor as the most vulnerable link in cyber security, often allowing attackers to bypass traditional security measures. This research explores the global prevalence of social engineering tactics, with a particular focus on Malaysia, aiming to develop a strategic framework to mitigate cybercrime. Objectives include investigating the causes and impacts of cybercrime, understanding challenges faced by law enforcement, and educating diverse user groups such as network users, internet users, children, and senior citizens about cyber security risks. Additionally, the study compares Malaysia's cybercrime laws and regulatory frameworks with those of other nations to identify potential areas for improvement. Using a quantitative approach, this research surveyed 200 participants aged 18 to 60, divided into non-technical and technical (IT) employee categories. The results indicate that all variables have positive relationship which refers to the fact that the impact of lack of social engineering training on organization effects on organization’s data protection, understanding new technology, and training to work with different methods of attack that can occur anytime from any fisher can affect the organization and the user positively. These findings underscore the importance of targeted educational initiatives and regulatory measures to strengthen cyber security and reduce cybercrime incidences in Malaysia.