Int’l hunt launched for cyberattackers

LONDON— It was described as the biggest cyberattack in history—at least 75,000 systems worldwide had been penetrated and planted with a virus that could delete files unless file owners paid ransom. Experts tagged the attack as cyberextortion, but others said it simply pointed to one fact—the vulnerability and flaws of Microsoft systems.

TOKYO— North Korea’s ballistic missile tests are not an immediate cause of concern for Filipinos in Japan, according to the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo.

In an interview with reporters on Friday, Deputy Chief of Mission Eduardo Meñez said the Filipinos in Japan were aware of the increasing threat from North Korea, but “the level of worry is not very high … The Filipinos are as safe as the Japanese.”

Meñez noted that North Korea has been conducting missile tests since 2012, so Japan is prepared.

Greater threat to S. Korea

The frequency of the launches has increased, especially in 2016, but the threat is not as greatly felt in Japan as in South Korea.

“At this point, I do not believe there is a sense of fear from the Filipino community. They basically mirror what the Japanese public do. Actually far from feeling threatened, more and more Filipinos are coming to Japan,” he said.

Meñez said the Japanese government was prepared and had a “well-established” system of response to threats.

The public is also well-informed, he said.

“The Japanese, I believe, have prepositioned a modified Patriot missile capability. So if there is a missile that is launched, whether deliberate or test attack, the military will also have the capability to shoot [ it down],” he said.