DICT told to explain attempted hacking of gov’t websites

SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Monday asked the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to explain the latest attempt allegedly by Chinese hackers to breach the websites of several Philippine agencies.

“The revelation that hackers suspected to be operating from China have infiltrated the e-mail systems and internal websites of various government agencies is a matter of national security and public interest,” he said in a statement.

He asked DICT officials to brief lawmakers about the nature and extent of the cyberattacks, measures in place to prevent them and strategies to boost the country’s cybersecurity infrastructure.

“We must ensure that our national cybersecurity strategies are robust enough to withstand such attacks and agile enough to adapt to the evolving digital landscape,” he added.

The House of Representatives is also planning to get third-party cybersecurity experts amid attempts to hack its data, House Secretary-General Reginald S. Velasco separately told reporters.

Bohol Rep. Kristine Alexie B. Tutor, who heads the House committee on civil service and professional regulation, reiterated the need for more licensed cybersecurity specialists in the country. The Philippines only has 200 legitimate cybersecurity analysts, DICT Secretary Ivan John E. Uy said in 2022.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said its website had not been hacked.

“A DICT personnel inquired last month if we monitored any attempts to hack our website but so far, we have not monitored anything,” it said in a statement. “Our website remains secure.”

DICT at the weekend reported having thwarted attempts to hack the websites of the coast guard and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, linking the IP address of the hackers to China United Network Communications Group, which is owned by the Chinese government.

The PCG noted that while its website is for public consumption, it does not want hackers to pollute its site with fake news and “make it appear that we authored the spread of falsehoods.” “We must also protect the site from computer viruses.”

The PCG said it had ordered its public service affairs office to work with DICT and exercise vigilance.

“We will ensure that the website is secure, that there is enough firewall to prevent it from being infiltrated by hackers.”