Press Release - Senator Mark Villar Condemns Multiple Cyber Attacks Against Government Agencies

Senator Mark Villar condemns the multiple cyber attacks against government agencies as the Philippine Statistics Authority has been a recent victim. This is only a few weeks after the Medusa ransomware cyber attack against the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).

"Ang mga atake na ito laban sa ating mga government agencies ay hindi lamang laban sa gobyerno. Ang mga ito ay bahagi ng malawakang atake laban sa publiko, sa mga mamamayang Pilipino na mayroong mga sensitibo at pribadong impormasyon sa mga ahensya ng gobyerno," Senator Mark said.

The senator further asserts that the recent cyberattacks on the systems of government agencies not only compromise the systems and processes of agencies but these attacks also endanger the safety and privacy of Filipinos.

"These cyber attacks against government agencies are very concerning. Everytime an agency is subjected to these opportunist attacks, the information of the general public is put on the verge of being released into cyberspace where it could be utilized by the wrong hands for criminal activities," Senator Mark added.

The Senator expresses his growing concern about the series of cyber attacks against different government institutions, the PSA being the latest victim. During the attack against PhilHealth last month, Senator Mark Villar filed Resolution No. 811 before the Senate directing the appropriate Senate Committee to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation over this cyber attack incident and all the other attacks against government websites.

"It is high time that we strengthen our cyberspace security as we are dealing with private and delicate information that could endanger, not just of one institution, but of the general Filipino public," Senator Mark Villar emphasized.

Senator Mark Villar, a staunch advocate for heightened security in digital cyberspace, stands in his firm belief that the regulation of cyberspace is timely and relevant, provided that this attack against PSA is the second one against a government agency in the past four weeks alone.