THE Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) yesterday confirmed the hacking of its system but assured the public that no information or data had been taken by the perpetrators.
OWWA Administrator Arnell Ignacio said in a statement that the agency “experienced a targeted cyber-attack last January” but assured the public, including overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families, that “no data was exfiltrated by the attackers.”
Nevertheless, he said, a full probe and assessment of the incident reported by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is ongoing.
“Our dedicated security team immediately blocked the attacker and has been working diligently to investigate the incident, assess the impact, and fortify our defenses to prevent any future attempts,” he said.
In addition, he said, the agency is closely coordinating with the DICT’s National Computer Emergency Response Team of the Cybersecurity Bureau.
“This collaboration ensures that we are leveraging the expertise of multiple entities to strengthen our overall cybersecurity posture and better protect our critical infrastructure,” said Ignacio.
Last Saturday, DICT Undersecretary for Cybersecurity Jeff Ian Dy said the Department was able to prevent a cyber-attack aimed at taking down the OWWA website.
The PNP said will establish cyber security desks at police stations nationwide in response to President Marcos Jr’s order to the police force to strengthen its cybersecurity systems.
In a press briefing at Camp Crame yesterday, PNP spokeswoman Col. Jean Fajardo said the PNP is in the process of training more investigators at police stations to respond to cybercrimes.
Fajardo admitted that not all police investigators at police stations are trained to respond to cyber-related crimes.
“So we have ongoing training being conducted by RACUs (regional anti-cybercrime units),” she said.
In the Calabarzon region, 52 police personnel have just completed anti-cybercrime training. — With Victor Reyes
