AMID the unresolved hacking incident at the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has urged both government agencies and private sector entities to bolster their cybersecurity defenses.
Gatchalian emphasized the critical need for safeguarding vital information infrastructure and called for compliance with international cybersecurity standards and best practices.
To address these concerns, Gatchalian has introduced Senate Bill 2066, also known as the Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Act.
This legislation mandates all covered critical information institutions (CII) to implement robust measures safeguarding their information and communications technology (ICT) systems.
It also requires the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to establish and update information security standards, with CII institutions obligated to adhere to these standards.
Additionally, the National Computer Emergency Response Team (NCERT) will be designated as the central authority for computer emergency response teams in the country.
The NCERT will administer a centralized information security incident reporting mechanism that spans various industries, including banking, finance, broadcast media, emergency services, energy, healthcare, telecommunications, and transportation, among others.
Experts have expressed concern about the scale of the PhilHealth data breach. Winthrop Yu, chair emeritus of the Internet Society’s Philippine Chapter, noted that cyber attackers had already released a significant amount of data, raising questions about the breach’s extent. Customized cybersecurity solutions and increased employee training in cyber hygiene are recommended, as off-the-shelf solutions may not suffice.
Lito Averia, president of the Philippine Computer Emergency Response Team, emphasized the importance of proper training and awareness among employees to recognize and thwart cyber threats. He also suggested implementing technical measures like network segmentation and regular data backups to prevent large-scale data breaches.
Gatchalian stressed the growing reliance on digital technologies in the Philippines, particularly in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Filipinos are increasingly using digital services, and the e-commerce sector is experiencing significant growth. With this increased digital activity, Gatchalian highlighted the heightened risk posed by cyber threats, ranging from casual scammers to sophisticated state-sponsored actors who target ICT systems and networks for various malicious purposes. (ai/mnm)
THE Philippine Transportation and Communication non-government organization is calling on Facebook to promptly remove two fake accounts linked to the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) chief.
This non-government organization, dedicated to combating fake news, digital and online fraud, issued this request on Monday (18 September 2023), emphasizing the urgency of the situation.
PhilTraComm claimed the two bogus Facebook accounts serve as glaring examples of online scammers who are actively seeking to defraud unsuspecting individuals of their hard-earned money.
As such, PhilTraComm’s lead convenor, Aio Bautista, stressed the need for Facebook to swiftly eliminate these fraudulent accounts to prevent any harm to potential, unsuspecting victims and to safeguard the reputation of PAO Chief Persida Acosta’s office.
Acosta herself has cautioned the public about these counterfeit social media accounts that falsely claim to represent her.
The anti-fraud and anti-fake news organization has also warned that scammers are likely to exploit these fake accounts to the detriment of innocent individuals.
As identified by the PAO chief, the PhilTraComm suggested the prompt removal of the following fake accounts:
- https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100075944028806
- https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082253745297
Acosta also appealed to the public for assistance in urging Facebook to delete these fraudulent accounts using her name.
In the forefront of delivering free legal assistance to the public, the PAO office has been a favorite playground of online and digital scammers.
Over the years, Acosta has consistently alerted the public to the existence of fake social media accounts falsely attributed to her.
In the previous year, she also denied ownership of a Facebook account that falsely claimed she was running for President, stating that it unlawfully used her photos without authorization to deceive the public.
Additionally, Acosta issued an advisory last year, clarifying that she had not authorized anyone to use her name in loan applications, reassuring the public that she was not associated with these loans in any way.
(ai/mnm)