Ferdinand Marcos already knows what his country will do in the next six years.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has unveiled a six-year plan to strengthen national cybersecurity. The move follows a series of recent cyberattacks that authorities believe are being blamed on Chinese hackers.
The new strategy highlights the need to develop clear operational standards for countering cyber threats as soon as possible.
Recently, hacking of government resources in the Philippines has become particularly frequent. So, on March 29, the attackers gained access to the official Facebook page of the Coast Guard. According to the representative of the department, Rear Admiral Armar Balilo, an "unidentified source" posted several "malicious" videos on the page. The authorities were able to regain control of the account only six days later.
This was the second such incident in 2024 — earlier, in February, hackers also managed to hack the Coast Guard account. In addition, in January, the attacks targeted the personal website of President Marcos, the mail server of the Ministry of Information Technology, as well as the Internet resource of the National Center for Coastal Surveillance.
"We do not associate these attacks with the actions of any state. But the analysis of IP addresses points to their Chinese origin," Renata Paraiso, a representative of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies, said in February. According to him, the investigation has already identified hackers who allegedly used the infrastructure of the Chinese state operator China Unicom.
Chinese officials have denied accusations of involvement in attacks on Philippine government resources and said they are ready to help search for suspects in China. Experts believe that the Coast Guard may have been targeted because of territorial disputes between Manila and Beijing in the South China Sea.
Manila Bulletin technology columnist Art Sarmiento noted the need for comprehensive measures to strengthen the Coast Guard's digital defenses-both technical and organizational. "It is important to teach staff to recognize phishing attacks, apply safe practices and respond to suspicious activity," the expert stressed.
In October 2023, the personal data of up to 20 million members of the state insurance company was stolen as a result of hacking. The country's largest telecom operator, PLDT, recorded an almost 9,000-fold increase in attacks on its infrastructure — from 182 million in 2022 to 16 billion in 2023.
"We are in a state of real cyber war. Private companies and government agencies need to join forces, and the government needs to coordinate the process," Angel Redoble, PLDT's chief information security officer, said in January.
Amid escalating cyber attacks, President Marcos has decided to take comprehensive measures to strengthen national cyber defenses. The Philippine authorities expect that the six-year strategy will effectively counter the growing digital threats.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has unveiled a six-year plan to strengthen national cybersecurity. The move follows a series of recent cyberattacks that authorities believe are being blamed on Chinese hackers.
The new strategy highlights the need to develop clear operational standards for countering cyber threats as soon as possible.
Recently, hacking of government resources in the Philippines has become particularly frequent. So, on March 29, the attackers gained access to the official Facebook page of the Coast Guard. According to the representative of the department, Rear Admiral Armar Balilo, an "unidentified source" posted several "malicious" videos on the page. The authorities were able to regain control of the account only six days later.
This was the second such incident in 2024 — earlier, in February, hackers also managed to hack the Coast Guard account. In addition, in January, the attacks targeted the personal website of President Marcos, the mail server of the Ministry of Information Technology, as well as the Internet resource of the National Center for Coastal Surveillance.
"We do not associate these attacks with the actions of any state. But the analysis of IP addresses points to their Chinese origin," Renata Paraiso, a representative of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies, said in February. According to him, the investigation has already identified hackers who allegedly used the infrastructure of the Chinese state operator China Unicom.
Chinese officials have denied accusations of involvement in attacks on Philippine government resources and said they are ready to help search for suspects in China. Experts believe that the Coast Guard may have been targeted because of territorial disputes between Manila and Beijing in the South China Sea.
Manila Bulletin technology columnist Art Sarmiento noted the need for comprehensive measures to strengthen the Coast Guard's digital defenses-both technical and organizational. "It is important to teach staff to recognize phishing attacks, apply safe practices and respond to suspicious activity," the expert stressed.
In October 2023, the personal data of up to 20 million members of the state insurance company was stolen as a result of hacking. The country's largest telecom operator, PLDT, recorded an almost 9,000-fold increase in attacks on its infrastructure — from 182 million in 2022 to 16 billion in 2023.
"We are in a state of real cyber war. Private companies and government agencies need to join forces, and the government needs to coordinate the process," Angel Redoble, PLDT's chief information security officer, said in January.
Amid escalating cyber attacks, President Marcos has decided to take comprehensive measures to strengthen national cyber defenses. The Philippine authorities expect that the six-year strategy will effectively counter the growing digital threats.
