20,000 cybersecurity gaps found

THE DEPARTMENT of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on Wednesday said it has identified and addressed 20,144 vulnerabilities in the cybersecurity systems of government agencies as of August this year.

DICT Undersecretary David L. Almirol, Jr. presented the number at a Senate Finance Committee hearing on the agency’s proposed P10 billion budget next year.

These gaps in cybersecurity gaps were identified through the DICT’s project SONAR, which scans for these vulnerabilities in state agency networks.

He said his agency is also planning to work with the Civil Service Commission to hire more cybersecurity experts next year to beef up the country’s defenses against hackers.

“Right now, we lack cybersecurity professionals both in the private and public sectors, we don’t even have cybersecurity organizations in the public sector,” he said.

Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian at the same hearing urged the DICT to keep a close eye on critical infrastructure to protect crucial government data.

“Every day we don’t have an audit, we cannot assure the Filipino people that the government is doing its share to protect our critical infrastructure, especially during times of geopolitical uncertainties,” he said.

Mr. Almirol agreed with the senator, saying his agency is considering proposing an executive order on protecting critical information infrastructure.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. this year adopted the National Cybersecurity Plan (NCSP) 2023-2028 to help address the rising number of cyber threats in the Philippines. Crafted by the DICT, the NCSP 2023-2028 outlines the country’s policy direction and operational guidelines for a secure cyberspace.

In 2022, the Philippines only had about 200 cybersecurity professionals compared to Singapore’s 2,000 experts, DICT Secretary Ivan John E. Uy earlier said, noting that 80% of Filipino cyber experts work overseas.

Mr. Uy said cybersecurity experts in the private sector earn about P200,000 a month, while those in the government are only paid P50,000. — John Victor D. Ordoñez