CTOS and Experian offer free dark web monitoring to all Malaysians after suspension of CCRIS access

Malaysian credit reporting agencies CTOS and Experian released press statements announcing that its data assets are secure and that they would also offer free dark web monitoring to all Malaysians. Their announcements came after Bank Negara Malaysia suspended the Central Credit Reference Information System (CCRIS) to all credit reporting agencies (CRA) to counter potential cyber threats and the possibility of a data leak incident.

While it’s still not clear what exactly prompted the suspension, CTOS wrote that the industry-wide move is a “precautionary measure to further protect customers’ information”. They also explained that “cyber-attacks were becoming more frequent and sophisticated”, and that the temporary suspension was applicable to all CRAs.

“We would like to assure the public that as of now, there are no indications that our data assets have been breached… We have made and will continue to make significant investments to ensure that our IT and data security 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,” said CTOS Group Chief Executive Officer, Dennis Martin.

Experian also explained that they have conducted an “in-depth security investigation” and found no evidence of any compromise in their systems, servers or facilities. They have submitted their findings to BNM throughout their investigation and will resume their CCRIS services “as soon as possible”.

“We are committed to advance data security standards and safeguards to protect the information and interests of Malaysian consumers and businesses. It has been a worrying period for many with alleged news of personal data being sold in the dark web in the past few weeks,” wrote Experian.

CTOS

CTOS announced that dark web monitoring through CTOS SecureID would be available to all Malaysians free of charge for one month—starting today, 4 October 2021. The service would help check on if a customer’s personal information has been potentially exposed to the dark web.

You can sign up for a free one month service through CTOS here. According to their site, it normally costs RM8.90 per month, or RM86.90 per year. CTOS SecureID will also give you credit monitoring and reports, as well as fraud and Takaful coverage.

Experian

Experian is offering free dark web monitoring through JagaMyID for three months. A basic JagaMyID service normally costs RM63 a year, and also includes credit reports—but no protection plans. A JagaMyID Plus account, which includes protection plans, costs RM99 a year.

You can sign up for a free three month service through Experian here starting today, 4 October 2021.

There are a total of three CRAs authorised by BNM that can access CCRIS. Besides CTOS and Experian, Credit Bureau has also acknowledged the suspension. However, it has yet to offer free dark web monitoring services similar to the other CRAs.

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