“Cyberattacks are a bigger threat than firing a water cannon,” said Sherwin Ona, a cyber defense consultant to the National Security Council and an associate professor at Manila’s De La Salle University.
The government’s cyber response team has 35 members. The group is so understaffed that it is sometimes forced to work with anonymous “black hat” hackers. They may have attacked government websites before, but are willing to provide tips about an imminent threat, said Geoffrey Ian Dee, deputy secretary of the Ministry of Information and Communications. technology.
“Would just 30 people have the capacity to investigate every weak point? “We don’t,” Dye said, adding that ideally the team would be around 200 people. “We are doing everything in our power to protect our republic.”
He said lack of funding was the main obstacle. The Philippines lacks competitive salary levels to recruit and retain cyber talent within government agencies, according to a study supported by the United States Agency for International Development.
It’s not just government agencies that are increasingly paying attention to this threat. In October, Philippine Armed Forces Chief of Staff Romeo Browner Jr. announced plans to recruit more “cyber warriors” to combat near-daily threats, including from unknown foreign forces.
“Across the world, cyber is becoming a very important area of warfare,” Browner said at the time. “This new kind of warrior doesn’t necessarily have to be muscular. What we need is intelligent and highly skilled people. [the] cyber domain. ”
In recent months, governments around the world have warned of potential digital threats from China.
In its latest annual threat assessment, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence stated that “China currently poses perhaps the most pervasive, most active, and persistent cyber espionage threat to U.S. government and private sector networks.” Ta. British intelligence agencies warned in May of a new threat from Chinese state hackers.
In an emailed response to a request for comment from Bloomberg News, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs opposed “groundless rumors and slander” and said China’s position on cybersecurity is consistent and clear. . When China is accused of carrying out a cyberattack, it typically claims that it is the victim of hacking. He also calls the United States the world’s top hacker.
Ona said Taiwan’s experience with a large-scale cyberattack from China is particularly instructive for the Philippines.
“China is taking advantage of Russia’s strategy and using it against its adversaries,” he said.