Kaspersky has signed an MoU with the Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) to give Malaysia’s cybersecurity talent pool a serious boost in knowledge access and industrial experience-based training.
With Malaysia pushing for its digital economy to contribute 30% of GDP by 2030, and initiatives like the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 underline how crucial cybersecurity is to that vision, the industry is still struggling to find enough qualified professionals. Kaspersky’s own 2025 global survey paints the picture pretty clearly, showing that only 17% of cybersecurity professionals in Malaysia feel fully satisfied with their organisation’s cyber readiness, while others cite a lack of skilled personnel and outdated threat intelligence as major weaknesses.
That’s where this three-year partnership comes in. Kaspersky and APU will work closely to strengthen academic programmes through industry-aligned curriculum updates, faculty development, and technical knowledge exchange. The goal is to ensure graduates are better prepared for real-world cybersecurity roles as Malaysia’s digital economy evolves. To kick things off, both parties are hosting a full-day event filled with technical talks and a Kaspersky Interactive Protection Simulation competition, giving students and educators hands-on exposure to incident response and real-world cyber defence situations.
Simon Tung, General Manager for ASEAN and AEC at Kaspersky, highlighted that cybersecurity expertise takes time and continuous learning, and this partnership aims to build long-term resilience by giving both students and early-career professionals access to practical, expert-led training. At the same time, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Thang Ka Fei from APU emphasized that combining APU’s strength in tech education with Kaspersky’s global cybersecurity leadership helps cultivate a new generation of digital defenders and pushes the boundaries of secure technology development.
The collaboration also ties into the Kaspersky Academy Alliance, which connects universities worldwide to support cybersecurity education and research. In Malaysia, Kaspersky has already worked with institutions like Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Universiti Malaya and Universiti Kuala Lumpur, alongside grassroots initiatives with NGOs and schools, to build digital resilience early on.
