Kaspersky Lab, together with the Department of Communication and Information Technology (DICT), held its first-ever CyberSecurity summit in the country last August 3, 2017 at the Shangri-La Hotel in Taguig city.
Consisting of a two part session that included a discussion of the Philippines’ current threat landscape, and individual breakout sessions per industry, the summit aimed to promote better cyber hygiene in the midst of escalating cyberattacks. With the collaboration of the DICT and Kaspersky Labs, both public and private sectors were exposed to necessary cybersecurity measures to combat exponentially growing cyber attacks.
Aptly Due Cybersecurity
The Philippines, as reiterated in the talks, is no exception to large-scale and directed cyberattacks. According to Stephan Neumeier, managing director at Kaspersky Lab Asia Pacific, figures from the Kaspersky Cybersecurity Index reveals that 50-percent of all Filipino digital users are still unaware and unequipped for online dangers. He adds that in their Kaspersky Security Network report alone, 16 thousand Internet-borne malware infections, caused by either visiting infected websites or downloading malicious files, were found in the computers of Filipinos with Kaspersky Lab products, from April to June this year. With the country vastly growing its economy, it is only fitting that both private and local sectors share intelligence and technology to stay ahead of cybercriminals. In the summit, Neumer further advised that using software is not enough, and that it’s also advisable to educate employees to strengthen and put into practice good cyber hygiene.
“As one of the fastest growing economies in the Asia Pacific region, it is undoubtedly high-time for the Philippines to tackle cybersecurity seriously. Its impressive economic numbers and its growing active online population make the country a ripe target in the eyes of cybercriminals. As a private company actively working with governments and police officers around the world against online crimes, Kaspersky Lab is more than willing to help the Philippine government spread cybersecurity awareness among Filipinos and thwart cyber crimes by sharing our expertise and understanding about information security,” said Neumeier.
Likewise, for the time ever, Vitaly Kamluk, director of the Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT) at Kaspersky Lab APAC, set foot in the Philippines to share the country’s current threat landscape. The elite security researcher revealed that in 2016, the Philippines ranked eighth in the list of most attacked countries by means of mobile malware. Furthermore, he shared that data from the Kaspersky Security Network, a complex infrastructure that processes depersonalized cybersecurity-related data streams, showed that three out of ten Filipinos with smartphones have been affected by the virus of this category. Moreover Kamluk shared the four Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) that targeted local facilities and companies. Namely, these were: Diplomatic Duck (September 2016); Naikon Kaba1 (January 2017); Tropic Trooper (March 2017); Spring Dragon (July 2017). Kamluk further explained, “Computer breaches and malware outbreaks are happening non-stop now, the effects are being felt and seen to affect human lives. There is no other way but to create a country with people and organizations concerned, aware, and vigilant in protecting themselves and the nation’s cyberspace.”
DICT’s Cybersecurty Plans
Coinciding with the plenary, the DICT also unveiled its scheme for implementing the National Cybersecurity Plan 2022. This, according to the DICT, will further ensure the protection of government networks, critical infrastructure, and individuals.“Cybersecurity is a whole of nation approach. We must work together to attain a cyber resilient Philippines,” said Allan Cabanlong, assistant secretary for CyberSecurity and Enabling Technologies of the DICT.