Malaysian credit reporting agencies CTOS and Experian offer free dark web monitoring for all Malaysians for a limited period of time

Malaysian credit reporting agencies CTOS and Experian issued a press statement announcing that their data assets are secure and that they will also offer free dark web monitoring to all Malaysians for a certain period of time (one month and three months respectively).

Their announcement comes after Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) suspended the Central Credit Reference Information System (CCRIS) of all credit reporting agencies (CRAs) in response to potential cyber threats and the possibility of a data breach.

While it is unclear what exactly caused the suspension, CTOS wrote that the industry-wide move was "a precautionary measure to further protect customer information. They also explained that "cyber attacks are becoming more frequent and sophisticated" and that the temporary suspension applies to all CRAs.

Previously, BNM said that access to credit reporting agencies will be restored once secure access is assured. Nevertheless, financial consumers can access their CCRIS reports through this link: https://eccris.bnm.gov.my

"We want to assure the public that as of today there is no indication that our data assets have been breached …… We have made and will continue to make significant investments to ensure our IT and data security," CTOS Group CEO Dennis Martin ( Dennis Martin) said, "Our framework, policies, procedures and systems are benchmarked against Bank Negara Malaysia's Risk Management in Technology (RMiT) standard and ISO27001 as well as other global standards."

According to Martin, "CTOS takes cyber security risks and data breach protection very seriously, and all the data and information we have is protected by world-class certified data security technology. As cyber attacks become more frequent and sophisticated, we have also enhanced our proactive assessment processes to protect the integrity of our data."

Experian also explained that they have conducted an "in-depth security investigation" and have found no evidence of a breach of any system, server or facility. They have presented their findings to the State Bank throughout the investigation and will restore their CCRIS services "as soon as possible.

"We are committed to advancing data security standards and safeguards to protect the information and interests of Malaysian consumers and businesses. This is a worrying time for many, with news of personal data allegedly being sold on the dark web over the past few weeks." Experian wrote.

CTOS

CTOS has announced that starting today, October 4, 2021, all Malaysians can get one month of free dark web monitoring through CTOS SecureID. The service will help check whether customers' personal information is potentially exposed to the dark web.

You can sign up for a free month of service through CTOS here. According to their website, it usually costs RM8.90 per month or RM86.90 per year. CTOS SecureID will also provide you with credit monitoring and reporting, as well as fraud and Takaful insurance.

Experian

Experian offers free dark web monitoring for three months through JagaMyID. The basic JagaMyID service usually costs RM63 per year and also includes a credit report but no protection plan. the JagaMyID Plus account includes a protection plan and costs RM99 for one year.

Starting October 4, 2021, you can sign up for three months of free service through Experian here.

A total of three CRAs authorized by BNM have access to CCRIS. in addition to CTOS and Experian, Credit Bureau has also acknowledged the suspension. However, it does not yet offer a free dark web monitoring service similar to the other CRAs.