The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has advised members of Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to immediately update their online credentials following a data breach that hit the state insurer.

NBI Cybercrime Division Chief Jeremy Lotoc said in a statement Saturday that the exposed personal data might be used by cybercriminals in creating fictitious e-wallet accounts, online bank accounts, social media-messaging accounts to facilitate fraudulent transactions.

He said PhilHealth members should update their accounts and change their passwords, email addresses, cell phone numbers, and other details that they have submitted to avoid falling victim to "credential stuffing attack," one of the most common techniques used to take-over user accounts.

• PhilHealth says 76% of promised debt payment to hospitals already paid

Lotoc also warned that the uploaded PhilHealth data may also contain malicious payloads which could infect computer systems and cause additional harm to the victims.

Likewise, downloading the stolen data without any authority may have legal implications under the Data Privacy Act.

The National Privacy Commission has launched a deeper investigation into the data breach that hit PhilHealth after initial analysis found that it involved 734GB of data, an amount that it described as staggering.

It said that the investigation will look into the accountability of PhilHealth officials for the breach, which may have partly been caused by expired antivirus software.

The NPC said that its Complaints and Investigation Division found “sensitive personal information” among the data that was affected by the breach.

• PhilHealth says threats to expose alleged hacked data 'only a bluff'

The fuller probe will look into the scope of the breach, who could be held responsible for it and what cases they may be prosecuted for.

“The NPC will leave no stone unturned in its investigation into the potential negligence of PhilHealth officials and explore whether any efforts have been made to conceal pertinent information,” he said.

RELATED VIDEO

Watch more News on iWantTFC