COMMUNICATIONS service provider Eastern Telecommunications Philippines Inc. (ETPI) announced recently it gathered government information-technology (IT) experts to update and prepare them for the latest threats to the country’s cybersecurity.
“Our reports say [this] will be the year of extortion,” Christina Bautista, a senior consultant to a global solutions company, was quoted in the statement as saying. “Whereas in previous years, ransomware was not that popular in the Philippines, now we have clients coming to us and saying they’re infected with it. There’s now an actual threat.”
Presidential Management Staff Officer Angelo Quimson confirmed that multiple attacks have been launched against their agency. Quimson added their function and direct line to the President make them clear targets, so they exercise clear measures to keep threats at bay.
“In the government, information is crucial,” Quimson said, explaining these are requisites in delivering vital services to the public. “More than storing confidential information, we must be able to access data when we need it.”
ETPI Marketing Services Head Jed Estanislao, meanwhile, reiterated that in this age institutions cannot afford data loss.
“For businesses, these affect bottom line figures. In the government, this translates to the dampening of public trust,” Estanislao said. “That is why we should allocate as much capital in warding off cyber attacks, as we do on keeping the trust of our clients and our public.”
Estanislao added that protecting the people’s data is the new mandate for all public institutions, and one that must be observed at every level of the organization. Bautista shared a guideline to her audience: “For end-users, don’t just click. Middle management must ensure defense solutions are in place, while top management must provide the necessary support to develop their IT arm.”
Bautista cautioned that old notions on cyber attacks no longer hold.
Attackers are engineering more personal and informed ways to engage their targets. Online profiling is now commonplace and top-level executives are the ones most at risk.
Authorities in technology are now building up multisectoral defenses for increasingly aggressive cyber attacks. Estanislao assured the audience that they will extend their expertise in this pressing matter. “Organizations cannot combat cyber threats alone.” Estanislao said. “Companies should do their part.”