This article first appeared in Digital Edge, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on April 28, 2025 - May 4, 2025

Tech salaries in Malaysia have risen significantly this year, with system engineers recording the highest increase at 8%, according to NodeFlair’s Tech Salary Report 2025. The report provided an analysis of more than 130,000 salary data points across roles and countries, including India, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Five of the seven tech roles studied showed salary increases. System engineers experienced notable growth, especially at the junior level with a 19.1% rise. Salaries at the 50th percentile rose from RM4,000 to RM5,000; at the 10th percentile from RM2,250 to RM2,750; and at the 90th percentile from RM5,500 to RM7,000. However, mid-level roles saw a decline of 5.2%.

Traditional software engineers also saw positive salary growth, averaging at a rise of 5.2%, although senior-level roles dipped slightly by 0.8%. Junior salaries ranged from RM2,750 (10th percentile) to RM8,000 (90th percentile). In contrast, mobile engineers faced a 3% salary drop, with those in mid and senior levels seeing a decline of 3.7% and 13.3% respectively.

NodeFlair suggests that rising AI investments are boosting demand for traditional software skills over data science. Among the markets surveyed, Malaysia had the sharpest increase in tech salaries, while Singapore and India saw declines.

Google has launched the integration of ShopeePay and TNG eWallet (an Alipay+ Partner) with Google Pay in Malaysia, marking its first e-wallet collaboration in Southeast Asia. This allows Android users to make seamless online payments via Google Chrome using their preferred e-wallets when shopping on selected mobile sites.

The integration reflects the growing adoption of e-wallets, with 88% of Malaysians using them in 2024. It aims to offer more payment choices, enhance convenience and expand access to digital payments, particularly for the underbanked.

Users can now pay directly with ShopeePay or TNG eWallet at checkout without switching apps, top up their e-wallets within Google Pay and, soon, view their balances. First-time users will undergo a one-time verification for added security, enabling one-click payments thereafter.

Participating merchants include Nando’s, US Pizza (via Fiuu) and Alpro Pharmacy, TK Bakery, and Yoyo Bus (via iPay88). More partners will be added over time.

A recent study, “Striving Digitally: Understanding the Challenges of Malaysian Women Entrepreneurs”, revealed that time poverty, limited digital literacy and low financial confidence are key challenges faced by women entrepreneurs. Despite increasing participation, Malaysia’s female labour force participation rate remains at 56.3%, compared with 82.9% for men.

These findings shaped targeted interventions to support women-led businesses, said Li Yang Lau, programme officer at Strive Malaysia, during a panel discussion titled “Empathy Meets Innovation” hosted by dobiQueen on April 22. The session brought together speakers from TalentCorp’s Wanita MyWira, Khazanah Research Institute and Strive Malaysia.

Nini Tan, co-founder of dobiQueen, highlighted how purposeful technology can help women balance work and life while offering cost-effective business opportunities online. Lau, however, noted that only 60% of women entrepreneurs are equipped to use digital tools effectively. Natasha Alias of TalentCorp stressed the importance of digital literacy and supportive programmes.

Panellists agreed that empathetic leadership and inclusive collaboration between men and women can yield more effective solutions. Tan pointed out that entrepreneurs should take full advantage of existing support from organisations like TalentCorp and Strivers’ Hub to make informed decisions and grow their businesses. — By Tan Ee Jj

At the EmpowerHER Digital Programme’s second instalment on April 18, Minister of Digital Gobind Singh Deo urged women entrepreneurs to tap into Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation’s (MDEC) Business Digitalisation Initiative for support in their digital transformation. EmpowerHER is a national initiative aimed at equipping B40 women with essential digital, financial and entrepreneurial skills.

The MDEC initiative was introduced to unify various government efforts into one accessible platform, encouraging collaboration between private companies and public agencies offering digital assistance and incentives. “Many are aware of these programmes but don’t know how to access them,” said Gobind, highlighting the need for simplified access.

The event included fireside chats and workshops on generative AI, financial literacy and digital branding. Entrepreneurs such as Sue Chan (Suchan Patisserie), Kalaivany (Kalai Fashion) and Ida Farini Othman (Gogy Natural) stressed the importance of technology, IP protection and digital platforms for improving efficiency and cutting costs.

They also raised concerns about challenges in applying for government support. In response, Gobind acknowledged the need for an easier application process and welcomed ongoing feedback to better assist entrepreneurs navigating the digital economy. — By Tan Ee Jj

Malware remains a major cybersecurity threat in Malaysia, with over 19.47 million infections recorded in 2024 — equivalent to one attack every 0.6 seconds — ranking the country at No 89 globally, according to Kaspersky Security Network.

While all users are affected, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) face greater risks as they digitalise operations without dedicated cybersecurity teams. Worms and file viruses dominate these attacks, often spread through USB drives, CDs and other offline methods, leaving SMEs vulnerable to local IT breaches. Given SMEs’ importance to the economy, robust digital security is essential for sustainable growth.

Kaspersky recommends that SMEs adopt real-time malware detection, antivirus tools, firewalls and strict control over removable media. Regular software updates and policies restricting unauthorised USB use are also advised. Enhancing employee awareness of malware risks and cyber hygiene further strengthens defences.

A new, more advanced version of the Triada Trojan has been discovered preinstalled on counterfeit Android smartphones allegedly sold via unauthorised retailers, according to Kaspersky. Embedded in the system firmware, the malware allows attackers full control over infected devices and operates undetected.

Unlike typical mobile malware spread through malicious apps, this variant is integrated at the system level, infiltrating all active processes and enabling a wide range of malicious actions. These include hijacking social media accounts, redirecting phone calls, substituting cryptocurrency wallet addresses, stealing messages, injecting malicious links into browser sessions and blocking network connections to avoid detection.

“This new version infiltrates the device at the firmware level — before it even reaches the user — pointing to a supply chain compromise,” said Dmitry Kalinin, malware analyst at Kaspersky. At least US$270,000 in stolen cryptocurrency has been linked to the attackers’ wallets, though the true amount may be higher due to untraceable assets like Monero.

Detected as Backdoor.AndroidOS.Triada.z, this firmware-level Trojan represents a serious escalation. Originally discovered in 2016, Triada has evolved to abuse system privileges, evade SMS-based authentication and conduct large-scale fraud, making this latest campaign particularly concerning.

The world’s first humanoid half-marathon was held in Beijing on April 19. About 20 two-legged robots competed in the race, with the winner completing the 21km course in two hours and 40 minutes.

A smart, incisive take-down of the bogus claims being made about so-called “artificial intelligence”, exposing the real harm these technologies do to our jobs, health, society and environment, who stands to gain from them, and how to fight back.

Is AI going to take over the world? Have scientists created an artificial lifeform that can think on its own? Is it going to replace all our jobs, even creative ones, like doctors, teachers and care workers? Are we about to enter an age when computers are better than humans at everything?

The answers to these questions, as the expert authors of The AI Con make clear, are “no”, “they wish”, “LOL” and “definitely not”. In fact, these fears are all symptoms of the hype being used by tech corporations to justify data theft, motivate surveillance capitalism and devalue human creativity so they can replace meaningful work with jobs that treat people like machines. Meanwhile, across healthcare, education, media, government and law enforcement, “AI” products that are unreliable, ineffective, unjust and dangerous are already being introduced.

Packed with real-world examples, pithy arguments and expert insights, The AI Con arms you to spot AI hype in all its guises, expose the exploitation and power-grabs it aims to hide, and push back against it at work and in your daily life. — Amazon

Say goodbye to dull black boxes — Cooler Master’s Shark X redefines the gaming PC with a bold design inspired by the ocean’s apex predator.

Standing 3ft tall and crafted from plastic and steel, Shark X features Addressable RGB (ARGB) lighting from nose to tail, culminating in a fully illuminated dorsal fin that doubles as a WiFi antenna. Designed by renowned Thai modder Irony, it first appeared in the 2019 Cooler Master World Mod Series.

Retailing at an eye-watering US$6,999 (about RM30,000), Shark X is available for pre-order through Cooler Master’s official channels. The first Malaysian unit, assembled by high-end PC builder Emarque, came in at about RM33,200.

This beast is equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, Asus Prime GeForce RTX 5080, ASUS ROG Strix Z890-I Gaming Wi-Fi motherboard, 64GB DDR5-6400 RAM, dual WD Black SN850NX 2TB SSDs, a Cooler Master MasterLiquid Atmos AIO cooler, and a Corsair SF1000L 1000W PSU.

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