MAS higit pang paiigtingin ngayon ng Armed Forces of the Philippines at ng kanilang AFP Cyber Command ang kanilang cyber defense kasunod ng ulat na tinangkang pasukin ng Chinese hackers ang ilang websites ng pamahalaan kabilang ang ilang executive branches.

Ayon sa ulat ng Bloomberg, sinasabing tinarget ng Chinese hackers ang Pangulo ng Pilipinas at nagnakaw ng military data.

Hindi ito kinumpirma ng AFP subalit sinabi ng tagapagsalita ng Hukbong Sandatahan ng Pilipinas, Col. Francel Margareth Padilla, na isang ring Cyber Security expert, “Cyber-attacks are a daily occurrence. And what is important is we are able to detect and we are able to deter these attacks. So, we have intrusion detection systems in place and intrusion prevention systems that are in place.”

Nabatid na noon pa ay inatasan na ni Pangulong Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. ang Sandatahang Lakas na i-fortify ang kanilang cyber defenses at makipag ugnayan sa iba’t ibang ahensya.

“So, in the side of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, we are in very close coordination in terms of our ally partners…kasama na rin ngayon sa Balikatan exercises and other exercises ang cyber defense,” ani Col. Padilla, dahil ang cybersecurity ay concern ng lahat hindi lamang ng AFP.

“So, as you have witnessed, in the past months, we have activated our cyber command. So kasama na din yan, in tandem with our intelligence command. So, we are looking at all of this, and it’s a given na talaga namang pong nandyan ang mga threats in the cyber domain but what is important is that we are able to detect and we are able to deter these attacks,” dagdag pa ni Col. Padilla.

Maging ang Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) ay kinumpirma kahapon na ilang ahensya na nasa ilalim ng executive branch ay naging target ng “persistent” cyberattacks from groups associated with China.

Inihayag ni DICT undersecretary for cybersecurity Jeffrey Ian Dy, ang cyber-attacks ay tinatangkang mapasok ang “executive branch, including that of the Philippine Coast Guard, including some departments of the executive branch like the DENR and Department of Agriculture, and of course the Office of the President,” simula pa noong taong 2023.

Nabatid na namo-monitor din ang mga kahalintulad na cyber-attacks sa United States, United Kingdom, at iba pang kalapit bansa na hinihinalang gawa ng “well-learned and well-organized teams” na may kawing sa Beijing, na nagpipilit na makapasok sa cyber security system ng nasabing mga bansa.

Tumanggi ang DICT na kumpirmahin ang Bloomberg report na napasok at nanakaw ng hackers ang ilang sensitive military data, na may kaugnayan sa South China Sea dispute.

Una nang itinanggi ng China na nagsasagawa sila ng cyber attack sa mga bansang itinuturing nilang banta gaya ng US at Taiwan, kasunod ng pahayag na ang mga akusasyon ay “groundless.” (JESSE KABEL RUIZ)