THE Chinese government has “reached out” to the Philippines about recent attempts to hack government websites, reportedly traced to China, and Communications Secretary Ivan Uy said yesterday in a briefing in Malacañang.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) earlier said those who attempted to hack the government websites were found to be using the services of Chinese state-owned company Unicom.
Uy said China asked if the Philippines can share what happened “so they can locate and identify who were behind it.”
“Actually, they have reached out to ask if we can do some cooperation. It’s actually both ways. Cooperation has to come, you know, as a mutual activity. So, they are willing to help,” he said adding the Philippines is open to working with everybody especially since hackers are everywhere.
Uy also said China has requested the Philippines to deport some 200 Chinese who were among over 600 individuals who were arrested during a recent raid at a “scam center” in Pasay City. He said the Chinese government wants these nationals prosecuted first in the Philippines for victimizing residents in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore before they are deported, to enable China “properly prosecute these people who are attacking their citizens and also compromising their cybersecurity.”
The DICT earlier said there have been attempts to hack websites and email addresses in the country, including those of the department, the Overseas Welfare Workers’ Administration (OWWA), the Philippine Coast Guard, and the National Coast Watch.
DICT said there were also attempts to hack the website of the President Marcos Jr., bongbongmarcos.com.
Asked if the attempts are related to the maritime dispute in the West Philippine Sea in the South China Sea, Uy said “that’s not for us to come out with that conclusion yet.”
He added it is too early to say because the probe is ongoing, “but anything is possible.”
“I think, currently take it at face value and see how things develop. In cyber investigations and in analyzing all of this, we never rule out anything. Everything is in the realm of the possible,” he added.
DEEPFAKES & AIs
Uy echoed concerns about the attempted attacks along with the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and deepfakes which the Senate and the House of Representatives are set to investigate.
There are concerns that deepfakes and AIs may be used in the next elections.
“It’s already being used for many elections. So, there are several elections that are ongoing worldwide, and this year… So, we are seeing a lot of deepfakes out there, in the social media platforms and many of the other platforms. AI-enabled deepfake is quite rampant so we need to be more discerning,” he said.
He added deepfakes and AIs can also be used for misinformation.
Uy said the cyber security industry is now using a lot of AI-enabled software for deepfake detection and the Philippines is now working with many cyber security agencies on this.
As this developed, President Marcos Jr. yesterday approved the National Cybersecurity Plan 2024-2029 that aims to provide the country with policy direction, operational guidelines in building its cybersecurity posture, as well as the fortification of the country’s cyberspace against online threats.
Uy said the national cybersecurity plan has been in the making for more than a year.
“So, the national cybersecurity plan is, well, it’s a document that provides direction, policy direction, as well as operational guidelines on how to build up our cybersecurity posture vis-í -vis the rest of the world,” he said.
The comprehensive plan aims to develop good policy to ensure a safe cyber landscape for the country, identify cyber assets, infrastructure that needs protection, provide government agencies and sectors with a guideline on how to respond to any cyberattacks or attempts, and incorporate advanced threat assessment so that even before those incidents happen, the government could obtain information ahead from its international partners.
