MANILA – The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) assured the public on Tuesday that no current information had been compromised following reports of Chinese state-sponsored hacking targeting the executive branch.
In a Palace press briefing, DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy acknowledged the constant threat of cyberattacks, noting that past hacking attempts against government agencies had been successfully thwarted.
Uy said hackers were resurfacing old data to “make an impression.”
“So far, what we have seen is that no current information has been compromised,” he said.
“What we have seen are old data from many years ago that are being regurgitated, recycled just to make an impression that they were successful in doing so.”
The reported attack, attributed to Chinese hackers, allegedly targeted the Office of the President, and was aimed to steal military documents related to the South China Sea dispute, as part of a “years-long campaign.”
Uy said while critical government agencies are always at risk of hacking, the DICT has been quick to detect and secure systems.
“We’re able to secure the systems so that it remains just an attempt and not be able to compromise some of the more sensitive data,” he said. (PNA)