Department of Informatics FSM Undip presents Malaysian cyber experts: thoroughly peel the synergy of AI, Cybersecurity, and Human readiness
Posted on: 2025-11-06 09:52:07
Semarang, November 4, 2025-the Department of Informatics, Faculty of Science and Mathematics (FSM) of Diponegoro University has successfully held an Online Visiting Professor entitled “Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, and Human Readiness” on Thursday, October 30, 2025. This activity is part of Undip's World Class University (WCU) program to support internationalization and strengthen global academic reputation.
The event presented international speakers, Prof. Ts. Dr. Omar bin Zakaria, a professor and researcher from the Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Defence Science and Technology, National Defence University, Malaysia. The guest lecture, which was held online through the Zoom platform, was attended by more than 130 students from various generations and guided by Guruh Aryotejo, S.Comm., M.Sc., lecturer of Department of Informatics FSM Undip.
Synergy of AI and cybersecurity
In his presentation, Prof. Omar discusses the crucial convergence between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Cybersecurity. He highlighted how AI is now becoming a strategic tool for detecting and responding to increasingly complex cyber threats, such as zero-day attacks. This technical approach involves the use of machine learning and deep learning in threat intelligence, malware analysis, and automation of cyber defense systems.
The Human Factor: The Weakest Link As Well As The First Line Of Defense
Highlighting the title of his presentation," The Weakest Link in Information Security Controls: The Human Factors", Prof. Omar critically discusses the dimension of human Readiness. According to Verizon DBIR 2024, more than 68% of security incidents involve unintentional human elements (such as errors or omissions).
He categorized four types of" insider " at risk:
- Negligent Insiders: employees who are unintentionally negligent.
- Malicious Insiders: employees or former employees who are intentionally malicious.
- Compromised Insiders: legitimate users whose accounts have been hijacked.
- Third-party Insiders: vendors or partners who have internal access. According To Prof. Insiders are very dangerous because they have legitimate access, making them difficult to detect by traditional defense systems such as firewalls.
Comprehensive mitigation: from 'Zero-Trust' to governance models
As a solution, Prof. Omar stressed the importance of multiple layers of security controls. This includes technical measures such as Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), the Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP), User Activity Monitoring (UAM), and the implementation of the "Never trust, always verify”Zero-Trust Security (ZTSA) architecture.
In addition, he emphasized that technology alone is not enough. Continuous awareness training is needed to transform employees from the "weakest link" to the "first line of Defense”.
Uniquely, Prof. Omar also proposed a governance approach adapted from the Lee Kuan Yew Model, which emphasizes discipline, strong systems (rather than individual dependency), and accountability to reduce human factor risk in organizations.
