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From classrooms to cyber labs, students find future in cybersecurity

July 20, 2026

By:Pau Eu Joe

CYBERJAYA: Before taking part in My Cyber Hero 2026, a national competition involving more than 21,000 school students across Malaysia, 17-year-old They Zee Yuen thought cybersecurity was little more than Windows Defender and basic laptop security settings.

After taking part in workshops, Capture the Flag challenges and the grand final at the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) & BlackBerry Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence (CCoE) here, the SMK Sultan Ismail student from Johor said he realised cybersecurity is about much more than simply protecting a single computer.

“You don’t just copy and paste the code. You actually have to understand what each code is doing so that you can complete the activity quickly,” he said, calling the programme “one of the most fun and interactive competitions” he had joined.

“Today’s competition has given me a better understanding, and I am definitely more inclined to try cybersecurity as a career in the future,” said They, who was part of a three-member team that won first place in the Star Cyber Hero category for secondary schools.

Arif Hilmi Ahmad Azamuddin, 12, from SK Ibrahim in Sungai Petani, Kedah, was part of a three-member team that won first place in the Rookie Cyber Hero category for primary schools.

“I used to think cybersecurity was only for big companies, like financial or commercial companies. But actually, it affects our daily lives, such as how we change our passwords. Using common passwords makes it easier for hackers to hack us,” he told FMT.

Once aspiring to become a cardiologist, Arif now hopes to become a white hat hacker, an ethical cybersecurity professional who tests computer systems, networks and applications for vulnerabilities before malicious hackers can exploit them.

Mentor Ahmad Azamuddin Zainal Arifin, 44, said SK Ibrahim students became more engaged when they could immediately see the results of their actions during the challenges.

“When they execute the command and see the result before and after, they feel the success of completing the task,” he said.

He added that similar programmes should reach students across Malaysia.

“We are from Sungai Petani, which can be considered a rural area, but I think we have to reach schools all over Malaysia, including those in Borneo. I think it’s really important.”

Building capability at scale

BlackBerry cybersecurity technical training director Jaclyn Sim said early exposure was critical as demand for cybersecurity talent continues to grow faster than supply.

She said rapid advances in cloud adoption, digital transformation and artificial intelligence were expanding the attack surface faster than the cybersecurity workforce could keep pace.

She said programmes like National Cyber Security Agency’s (Nacsa) My Cyber Hero and the MCMC & BlackBerry CCoE addressed different stages of the talent pipeline, from early exposure to structured training.

“One builds capacity and the other builds early interest. Together, we have a full pipeline, from sparking interest in schools to building a more job-ready skill set.

“Cybersecurity is not a niche field anymore. It is a mainstream career. Malaysia is not short of interest. We’re building capability at scale,” Sim said.

The CCoE has trained more than 10,000 people, from students to industry professionals, since 2024, reflecting growing demand for cybersecurity skills across sectors.

“We have a cybersecurity escape room called the Black Box, a cyber war room, and a simulated security operations centre to give participants job-ready skills through real-world scenarios,” she said.

Cybersecurity as a national priority

Speaking at the closing ceremony, National Security Council director-general Raja Nushirwan Zainal Abidin said cybersecurity had become a national priority beyond the technical sector.

“Cybersecurity is no longer a technical issue that is the responsibility of technology experts alone. It has become a national agenda closely linked to security, economic stability and the wellbeing of the people,” he said.

He described My Cyber Hero as “a strategic national investment” that helped young Malaysians understand that cybersecurity was “not merely about technology, but about trust, integrity, responsibility and protecting society”.

“I believe that among the participants here today are future cybersecurity experts, data scientists, artificial intelligence engineers, technology innovators and digital leaders who will shape Malaysia’s future,” he said.