MANILA — The chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Thursday said “old files” of the military leaked from a hacking incident in 2021 are still circulating on the dark web.

• 'Major transition' in AFP as mindset shifts to protecting PH from external threats: analyst

But General Romeo Brawner Jr. clarified these were not sensitive to the country’s national security. The statement comes amid recent reports of cyberattacks on some government agencies.

“We investigated this right away. We found out that these are old files. We had a hacking before, two years ago, but the files are not really the sensitive files. These are still circulating on the dark web,” Brawner said in a media forum organized by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP).

Since then, the AFP was able to prevent cyberattacks, he said.

“So far, we were able to ward off attacks because we were able to establish a good cyber defense. We’re hoping we could sustain that,” he said.

“When it comes to the cyber domain, obsolescence is very fast. Within six months, your brand-new equipment becomes obsolete with the new technology. Hackers are always looking for loopholes they could use to get into your system. We have to be alert and vigilant,” he added.

Expansion of AFP Cybersecurity Group

The military chief said he intends to expand the AFP’s Cybersecurity Group, which is currently in charge of making sure the networks in the general headquarters are safe and secure.

Brawner hopes to turn this into the Cybersecurity Command, which will ensure the safety and security of the AFP’s entire cyber network.

• Senate vows to increase DND's 2024 budget

“The Cyber Command we are envisioning will not be as big as an area command… The Cyber Command will have the whole archipelago as its territory because it will defend the cyber networks of the AFP, not the entire country. If we do that, as mentioned by some lawmakers, it’s impossible with the current facilities and equipment we have,” he said.

“We are envisioning to add more equipment, more facilities to the Cyber Command. It will also provide command and control over all the cyber units we have in the AFP. We have islands, buckets of cybersecurity units… What we need is to integrate all of these efforts.”

Brawner explained that funds for the expansion will be taken from existing units.

The AFP will also recruit “cyber warriors.”

“These new breeds of warriors do not necessarily need to be muscled and strong. What we need are individuals who are very intelligent and skillful in the cyber domain,” he said.

"When we say we are going to hire cyber warriors, it’s not on top of the usual recruitment. In other words, instead of recruiting soldiers for infantry battalions, for instance, this time, we will recruit cyber warriors. Because we will be looking for talented and skilled individuals, they may not be necessarily competent to pass our regular recruitment processes. So, medyo magre-relax tayo konti," he added.

• 'Not a coincidence,' senator says of series gov't site hacking

Brawner said the Cybersecurity Command will not be used as a “troll farm” to target critics of the government.

“No. We will make sure the Cyber Command will be there to defend our networks. We will do passive defense,” he said.

Brawner said the AFP experiences cyber threats “almost every day” from both local and foreign actors.

“Gusto nilang pasukin ang ating networks. Pero, so far, hindi naman naging successful. We’ve been successful in warding off and defending our networks,” he noted. “We believe some of the attacks are foreign. Some are local.”

“Maraming attempts na i-hack ang systems natin. In fact, recently, nakita natin na-hack ang systems ng ibang government agencies. Since then, we have already warned our cyber units to be vigilant and on the lookout for possible hacking,” he added.

RELATED NEWS

Watch more News on iWantTFC