Tag Archive for: china

China denies hacking Philippines websites

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MANILA, Philippines — The Chinese embassy has denied Beijing’s involvement in hacking attempts on the websites of Philippine government agencies including the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

“Some Filipino officials and media maliciously speculated about and groundlessly accused China of engaging in cyberattacks against the Philippines, even went as far as connecting these cyberattacks with the South China Sea disputes. Such remarks are highly irresponsible,” the embassy said in a statement on Monday.

The Chinese government, it said, firmly opposes and cracks down on cyberattacks and does not allow illegal activities on Chinese soil or using Chinese infrastructure.

The statement was issued days after the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) revealed that cybersecurity experts successfully blocked hacking attempts from China that targeted government websites and emails.

PCG spokesman Rear Admiral Armand Balilo said he is not discounting the possibility that the cyberattack attempt on its website could be connected to the ongoing conflict in the West Philippine Sea.

Based on the DICT investigation, the hackers were reportedly from China Unicom, a state-owned telecommunications firm.

Cybersecurity center

A cybersecurity center would prevent the occurrence of cybercrimes as the country’s cybercrime laws only focus on investigations, according to the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG).

“It means it already happened and there is a probe to charge the persons responsible,” ACG director Maj. Gen. Sidney Hernia said at a news briefing.

Police officers in cybercrime investigations, he noted, need to improve their skills to remain at par with foreign counterparts.

Over the weekend, the DICT revealed that China-based hackers committed cyberattacks against government websites and emails.

Hernia said law enforcement agencies should beef up security to protect the country’s cyberspace.

The ACG is collaborating with financial institutions and e-wallet services to strengthen their security against online scams.

Online abuse of children

Stronger community-based measures for digital protection and internet safety are being pushed as…

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Congress prods DICT for briefing on recent hacking tries from China

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Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Monday called for an immediate briefing from the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on the recent cyberattacks on several Philippine government websites purportedly from Chinese hackers, saying this was an issue on national security.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard on Monday assured the public that its website is secure following reports of attempted cyberattacks over the last month.

In a statement, PCG spokesperson Rear Admiral Armando Balilo said an investigation into the possible hacking of their website began a month ago after the DICT reported the attempt to break into their website.

“So far, we have not monitored anything. Our website remains secure,” Balilo said.

DICT Undersecretary for connectivity, cybersecurity and upskilling Jeffrey Ian Dy reported that cybersecurity experts prevented the hacking of government websites and email addresses by China-based cybercriminals, and that one of these attacks was an attempt to take down the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) website.

“I express deep concern regarding the recent cybersecurity breaches in government agencies, as reported by the DICT. The revelation that hackers, suspected to be operating from China, have infiltrated the email systems and internal websites of various government agencies, is a matter of national security and public interest,” Romualdez said.

“The fact that these breaches have targeted critical domains such as cabsec.gov.ph, coastguard.gov.ph, cpbrd.congress.gov.ph, dict.gov.ph, doj.gov.ph, and ncws.gov.ph, in addition to the private domain of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, signifies a dire need for an immediate and comprehensive response,” the Speaker added.

The leader of the 310-strong House of Representatives said that the Philippines should not allow these cyberattacks on government websites to go unchecked.

“An attack on our internet systems is not only a threat to our government but also a robbery of our own home. We must not miss it and we must fight it,” the lawmaker from Leyte said.

“In light of these alarming developments, I am calling on the…

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China is hacking Wi-Fi routers for attack on US electrical grid and water supplies, FBI warns • Graham Cluley

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China is hacking Wi-Fi routers for attack on US electrical grid and water supplies, FBI warnsChina is hacking Wi-Fi routers for attack on US electrical grid and water supplies, FBI warns

Got two-and-a-half hours to spare?

Maybe instead of settling down to watch “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”, you could check out this video where FBI director Christopher Wray warned the US Congress earlier this week of the risks posed by Chinese state-sponsored hackers.

As Wray described to the House select committee on the Chinese Communist party, a botnet operated by Volt Typhoon hacking group has been disrupted by law enforcement agencies.

The “vast majority” of affected routers are out-of-date NetGear and Cisco gear that are deemed to have reached their “end of life” and are no longer receiving security updates.

The routers were vulnerable to being recruited into Volt Typhoon’s so-called KV botnet if left unpatched. However, a court-approved US operation has deleted the malware from affected routers and took steps to prevent reinfection.

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According to the FBI’s Wray, Volt Typhoon is compromising small businesses and home office routers to hide the origin of future Chinese-backed cyber attacks.

“China’s hackers are targeting American civilian critical infrastructure, pre-positioning to cause real-world harm to American citizens and communities in the event of conflict. Volt Typhoon malware enabled China to hide as they targeted our communications, energy, transportation, and water sectors.”

Committee chairman Mike Gallagher said the attacks were the “cyberspace equivalent of placing bombs on American bridges, water treatment facilities and power plants.”

Although it’s a headline-grabbing thing to say, there is some truth in it. We have seen cyber attacks by nation-states against water facilities and electricity grids in the past. If successful, such attacks could have a significant impact.

Russia, for instance, managed to cut off internet access for tens of millions of Ukrainians, and in a separate cyber attack disrupted the power grid in the war-torn country.

“There is no economic benefit for these actions. There is no intelligence-gathering rationale,” continued Gallagher. “The sole purpose is to be ready to destroy American infrastructure, which will…

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US says it disrupted a China cyber threat, but warns hackers could still wreak havoc for Americans

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FBI Director Christopher Wray, center, testifies during a House Select Committee focusing on China on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, in Washington.
FBI Director Christopher Wray, center, testifies during a House Select Committee focusing on China on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, in Washington.Mariam Zuhaib/AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials said Wednesday they disrupted a state-backed Chinese effort to plant malware that could be used to damage civilian infrastructure, as the head of the FBI warned that Beijing is positioning itself to disrupt the daily lives of Americans if the United States and China ever go to war.

The operation, announced just before FBI Director Chris Wray addressed House lawmakers, disrupted a botnet of hundreds of U.S.-based small office…

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