A person working in IT Security in Malaysia typically earns around 7,550 MYR. Salaries range from 6,170 MYR (lowest average) to 9,310 MYR (highest average, actual maximum salary is higher).
The provided figure represents the median compensation that encompasses housing, transportation, and other perks. The salaries within the IT Security domain in Malaysia exhibit significant discrepancies across various professions. In case you seek information about the remuneration of a specific position, please refer to the salaries listed below for respective job titles.
Job Title | Average Salary |
Information Technology | |
Chief Information Security Officer | 9,880 MYR |
Cloud Security Architect | 6,500 MYR |
Computer Security Specialist | 7,880 MYR |
Cross Platform Security Manager | 8,540 MYR |
Cyber Security Consultant | 7,720 MYR |
Cyber Security Researcher | 7,960 MYR |
Cyber Security Specialist | 7,720 MYR |
Cybersecurity Analyst | 6,910 MYR |
Cybersecurity Architect | 7,130 MYR |
Cybersecurity Compliance Specialist | 6,430 MYR |
Cybersecurity Engineer | 6,370 MYR |
Cybersecurity Manager | 9,020 MYR |
Data Security Manager | 9,000 MYR |
Digital Forensics Expert | 6,760 MYR |
Information Security Administrator | 7,520 MYR |
Information Security Analyst | 7,960 MYR |
Information Security Associate | 6,500 MYR |
Information Security Director | 9,030 MYR |
Information Security Engineer | 6,340 MYR |
Information Security Manager | 9,120 MYR |
Information Security Specialist | 7,720 MYR |
Information Systems Penetration Testing Specialist | 7,280 MYR |
Information Systems Vulnerability Assessment Specialist | 7,600 MYR |
Malware Analysis Expert | 6,960 MYR |
Reverse Engineering Expert | 7,400 MYR |
Minimum Salary 6,170 MYR |
Median 7,340 MYR |
Maximum 9,310 MYR |
Salaries in IT Security in Malaysia range from 6,170 MYR (starting average salary) to 9,310 MYR (maximum average salary, actual maximum is higher). To clarify, the number presented is not the legally mandated minimum wage. Rather, it represents the lowest figure reported in a salary survey that involved thousands of participants and professionals from across the entire country.
The median income in the field of IT Security is 7,340 MYR, implying that half of the workforce in Malaysia earns less than this figure, and the other half earns more. It represents the central value of salaries. As a rule of thumb, you would prefer to be part of the group earning above the median wage, situated on the right-hand side of the salary distribution chart.
Two values that are highly correlated with the median are the 25th and 75th percentiles. By examining the salary distribution diagram, it is possible to determine that 25% of individuals employed in IT Security in Malaysia earn less than 6,890 MYR, while 75% of them earn more. Additionally, the diagram reveals that 75% of individuals earn less than 7,720 MYR, while 25% earn more than that.
Data was regrouped into brackets to provide a better understanding of what salaries can be expected. This approach was deemed more accurate than relying solely on the average salary, as it offers greater insights into the distribution of salaries in the field of IT Security in Malaysia. The analysis revealed that roughly 65% of all reported salaries fell within the range of 6,430 MYR to 7,120 MYR. Approximately 20% of salaries were below the 6,430 MYR mark, while 10% ranged from 7,120 MYR to 7,430 MYR. Only 5% of individuals earned a gross salary of 7,430 MYR or higher.
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally, the more years of experience the higher the wage.
Generally speaking, employees in IT Security in Malaysia having experience from two to five years earn on average 32% more than freshers and juniors across all industries and disciplines.
Professionals with experience of more than five years tend to earn on average 36% more than those with five years or less of work experience.
As you hit the ten years mark, the salary increases by 21% and an additional 14% for those who have crossed the 15 years mark.
Those figures are presented as guidelines only. The numbers become more significant if you consider one job title at a time.
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? In the field of IT Security in Malaysia, the average difference between the salary of male and female employees is 5%.
Male | 7,730 MYR | |
Female | -5% | 7,330 MYR |
Professionals working in IT Security in Malaysia are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 12% every 17 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 9% granted to employees every 17 months.
The term Annual Salary Increase usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rare that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one-year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.
The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 / Increase Frequency
Not all compensation increases are reflected directly in the salary. Some companies offer upgraded packages to their staff instead of cash money. The figures displayed here account only for direct increments to the base salary.
48% of surveyed staff in IT Security reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 52% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 3% to 6% of their annual salary.
Received Bonus | 52% | |
No Bonus | 48% |
The most standard form of bonus, where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.
Company Performance BonusesOccasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.
Goal-Based BonusesGranted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.
Holiday / End of Year BonusesThese types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.
People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.
The main two types of jobs | |
Revenue Generators | Supporting Cast |
Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business. | Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations. |
Example: | Example: |
Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.
Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.
The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually, jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fixed amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.
The minimum pay rate per hour for people working in IT Security in Malaysia is 36 MYR. This is the minimum as per the gathered data in the salary survey not the minimum hourly rate mandated by law.
City | Average Salary |
Ampang | 6,870 MYR |
Ipoh | 8,070 MYR |
Johor Bahru | 7,610 MYR |
Klang | 7,000 MYR |
Kota Kinabalu | 7,490 MYR |
Kuala Lumpur | 8,180 MYR |
Kuching | 7,330 MYR |
Petaling Jaya | 7,950 MYR |
Shah Alam | 7,790 MYR |
Subang Jaya | 7,140 MYR |
Where can you get paid more, working in a private company or the government? The difference between the public or government sector salaries and the private sector salaries in Malaysia is 9% on average across all career fields.
Private Sector | 6,340 MYR | |
Public Sector | +9% | 6,900 MYR |
A good and competitive compensation would range anywhere between 7,340 MYR and 7,720 MYR. This is a very rough estimate. Experience and education play a very huge part in the final earnings.
All salary and compensation figures displayed here are gross salary figures, that is the salary before tax deductions. Because taxes may differ across sectors and locations, it is difficult to accurately calculate the net salary after tax for every career.
The base salary for jobs in IT Security in Malaysia ranges from 6,170 MYR to 6,890 MYR. The base salary depends on many factors including experience and education. It is not easy to provide a figure with very little information, so take this range with a grain of salt.
Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people earn more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary