Ts. Dr. Muhammad Faiz Bin Mohd Zaki, Sub-Project 3 Lead, UMCYBERSAFE: Sekolah Siaga Siber.
On 5 April 2026, the UMCYBERSAFE: Sekolah Siaga Siber programme made its first stop at SMK Ibrahim in Sungai Petani, Kedah, bringing cybersecurity education directly to approximately 150 Form 1–3 students. The programme is organised by the Centre of Research for Cyber Security & Network (CSNET), Faculty of Computer Science & Information Technology (FSKTM), Universiti Malaya, under the UMCares Community Grant (RU2025-QE13C), led by Principal Investigator Prof. Ts. Dr. Nor Badrul Anuar bin Juma'at.
A Centennial School as the Opening Stage
SMK Ibrahim is one of Kedah's most distinguished cluster schools — an institution with more than a century of history and a track record of academic and co-curricular excellence. Its cluster school status reflects its role as a benchmark institution for schools across the region. The Principal, Tuan Haji Abdul Jamil bin Nazri, attended and officiated the opening ceremony in person, expressing his appreciation to Universiti Malaya for bringing expert-led cybersecurity education directly to the school community. He reaffirmed the school's commitment to sustaining digital safety practices among its students on an ongoing basis.
What the Programme Delivered
A team of ten FSKTM lecturers facilitated a full-day programme structured around three components. The morning opened with a Cybersecurity Awareness Seminar, covering the risks students face in their daily digital lives — cyberbullying, online scams, identity theft, and the misuse of personal information. Students were guided to recognise warning signs and understand their rights and responsibilities in the digital space.
The second session moved into the Ruang Siaga Siber (Cyber Readiness Space), where students explored the UMCybersafe e-Modul — an interactive self-paced learning platform developed by FSKTM researchers — and engaged in live simulations of cyberattack scenarios in a controlled environment. Students who completed the e-Modul received digital certificates and badges as formal recognition of their achievement.
The programme concluded with a certificate presentation and group photo session before students were dismissed at 1 p.m.
Aligned with National Digital Education Policy
The Sekolah Siaga Siber initiative is designed in direct response to the rising incidence of cyber threats among Malaysian youth — a population that has grown up with constant digital access but limited formal education on staying safe online. The programme aligns with the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2026–2036, the Ministry of Education's Digital Education Policy (DPD) 2023–2030, and the national Malaysia MADANI and MyDIGITAL agendas — all of which identify digital literacy and cybersecurity awareness as essential outcomes for the next generation of Malaysian learners.
The SMK Ibrahim session was the first of two consecutive days of outreach in Sungai Petani. The programme continued on 6 April 2026 at SMK Che Tom, completing a two-day reach of approximately 300 students across Kedah.