Malaysia‘s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has revealed that hackers demanded a US$10 million ransom following a major cyberattack over the weekend that disrupted operations at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
Anwar confirmed on Tuesday that Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB), which operates KLIA and other airports in the country, had been the target of a “heavy” cyberattack, but he rejected the ransom demand without hesitation.
“When I was informed about this … I did not wait five seconds. I said no,” Anwar declared during a speech on Tuesday.
“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.”
Anwar‘s remarks marked the first time that the Malaysian government officially confirmed that KLIA had suffered a cyberattack. The incident reportedly brought down critical airport systems, although the full extent of the disruption remains unclear.
It is still unknown whether the cyberattack has been fully contained, and authorities have yet to identify the perpetrators behind the attack.
The first signs of trouble emerged on Sunday when former MP and government critic Wee Choo Keong raised concerns in a social media post, stating that systems at KLIA had “all gone down” for 10 hours the previous day.
With digital systems paralyzed, airlines were reportedly forced to update flight information manually using a large whiteboard to manage schedules and inform passengers.
Following Anwar‘s revelation, MAHB and the National Cyber Security Agency released a joint statement on Tuesday, confirming that the cyberattack had impacted “certain computer systems” at KLIA.
“A comprehensive investigation was immediately launched to assess the nature and extent of the incident,” the statement read, without disclosing details about the attackers or the specific systems affected.
MAHB‘s managing director, Mohd Izani Ghani, sought to reassure the public and stakeholders that efforts were underway to restore and safeguard the airport‘s infrastructure.
“Ensuring the safety, security, and integrity of airport systems remains the highest priority at this time,” Mohd Izani said.
“Technical and operational teams are actively monitoring the situation and implementing necessary measures to safeguard the infrastructure and ensure uninterrupted passenger experience.”
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