Dato Dr Norbik Bashah Idris is currently the CDO (Chief Digital Officer) of the University and a Professor at the Kulliyyah of ICT in IIUM. He started his academic career in 1983 and has been attributed as one of the early pioneers of Cybersecurity in Malaysia. Throughout his career, Norbik has been a member of SIGSAC – (Special Interest Group on Security, Audit and Control) of the ACM (Association of Computing Machinery), IEEE Computer Society, New York Academy of Science, USA and IFIP Working Group-11.3 on Database Security (USA). As a Cybersecurity practitioner, Norbik carries the following professional certifications: (CISSP from (ISC)2, CISM from ISACA, and Certified Blockchain Developer from Blockchain Council (USA)).

In 1995 Norbik led a team of researchers which won a strategic research grant from MOSTI to start the first major research work on Cryptography in Malaysia which produced a suite of indigenous cryptographic utilities. In 1998 Norbik founded the first Real-time Software Engineering Centre of Excellence in Malaysia, where he collaborated with the University of Thales from Paris. The Cybersecurity R&D team he led later became incorporated as a company which was awarded a major project from the Malaysian Government to help monitor security of government’s network throughout the country. The company later became the first public-listed company on Cybersecurity in Malaysia. Following his success in Malaysia, Prof Norbik repeated the success into other ASEAN countries and later into the Gulf countries & MENA.

Throughout his career Norbik has been a Keynote Speaker, Visiting Professor, Corporate Figure, Consultant & Advisor on Cybersecurity to various Organizations & Governments, both in Malaysia & international. He was nominee for 2007 Ernst & Young Best IT Entrepreneur, twice recipient of “Distinguished ISC2 Award winner for Asia-Pacific” in Cybersecurity, IDG Distinguished Chief Security Officer for Asia Pacific, winner of at least 7 Gold medals on Cybersecurity products & services, and holder of a few patents.

Norbik’s latest interest is in synergizing cybersecurity & DLT (Blockchain/Tangle) into Islamic Fintech products & services in the hope of contributing to the Maqasid Shariah.