VARIOUS agencies have reported an increase in cyber incidents this year, findings culled at the Eastern Communications’ Thoughts on Tech podcast series recently showed.
In the podcast, experts revealed the Philippine National Computer Emergency Response Team (PNCERT) reported over 2,000 cyber incidents between January and August.
The Philippine National Police’s Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) documenting a 21.8 percent increase in cybercrime cases during the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.
From January to March, ACG recorded 4,469 cybercrimes — an average of 49 cases per day compared to 40 in 2023.
Online selling scams topped the list, followed by investment scams and credit/debit card fraud.
Anti-scam app Whoscall reported a 200 percent surge in the number of scam calls and messages between January and August with over 3 million reported text scams and more than 320,000 scam calls.
This surge signals a sharp rise in cyberattacks across the Philippines, highlighting the urgent need for robust cybersecurity measures.
The experts said forms of cyberattacks have changed, and cybercriminals are becoming more ICT-enabled as they resort to technologies like Fake Base Transceiver Stations to directly attack users by sending spam and fraudulent SMS messages.
Jeffrey Ian Dy, undersecretary of the Department of Information and Communication Technology, said while the finance industry is more susceptible to cyber threats, the government, telecommunications companies, and the academe are also the most targeted institutions, especially for advanced persistent threats like state-sponsored attacks, and cyber terrorism.
Dy said understanding both the offensive and defensive sides of cybersecurity is crucial.
“Hacking is a lot easier now, and that’s the problem. The cost of offensive cyber security capabilities is less than the cost of defending,” Dy said. This means businesses must proactively strengthen their defenses.
He added small and large businesses alike must prioritize cybersecurity investments in critical areas, such as securing Wi-Fi access points and implementing strong password protocols.
