The Philippine Army (PA) and Philippine Navy (PN) were investigating the alleged cyberattack on their respective networks, officials disclosed on Monday night, Feb. 24, although denying claims that more than 300 gigabytes worth of military data have been exposed.
In a now-deleted social media post, the group “Philippine Exodus Security” claimed responsibility for the supposed data breach on the systems of the Army and Navy.
“The Philippine Army has detected and acknowledged the illegal access attempt of a certain group to breach the PA network,” Army spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala said, without identifying the threat group.
He said the Army has already identified the attacker and is “currently conducting counter-measures to prevent such cybersecurity incidents in the future.”
He, however, denied that there was any military information that was compromised due to the attack.
“No data was compromised,” Dema-ala assured the public.
He explained that what happened was an attempt to illegally access the Army’s online systems, stressing it was different from a hacking incident.
“Illegal access is there were some credentials from compromised email accounts that were used [to gain access into a system]. Hacking is changing the system to gain access or bypassing security. There was no bypass of security when the login was made because we have identified the credentials [of the compromised account],” Dema-ala noted.
The PN likewise said that it has initiated a detailed investigation regarding the data breach claims and “has taken necessary measures to ensure the integrity of our systems.”
“Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility, and the Philippine Navy encourages the public to work with us and contribute constructively in safeguarding the nation’s security,” said Navy spokesperson Capt. John Percie Alcos.
He said the Navy remains committed to strengthening its cybersecurity defenses and addressing any potential threats to national security.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) have been fortifying its cybersecurity capabilities due to increased cyberattacks in recent years.
According to AFP, it faces at least 1,000 cyberattacks per day.