DICT orders management information systems to upgrade protocols for gov't sites

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has ordered all management information systems (MIS) to upgrade all cryptographic protocols for all government websites, to ensure encryption and security from cyber threats.

Under Department Circular 007 issued on April 16, 2020, the DICT mandated designated MIS administrators to migrate and configure all their existing web servers to the updated version of the Transport Layer Security (TLS).

TLS is a cryptographic protocol prominently used for end-to-end security for transactions made over the Internet. It aims to prevent the occurrence of network eavesdropping, data tampering and message forging.

"We would like to promote responsibility and accountability among our IT practitioners in the government, especially among our MIS administrators. During this ECQ, cybercrimes are prevalent," said Assistant Secretary Emmanuel Rey Caintic.

"And, to contribute to the administration’s efforts of keeping the people safe from the coronavirus, we should likewise keep them safe from threats against their data privacy and cybersecurity," he added.

The Social Security System (SSS) over the weekend apologized for the downtime of its website, due to the surge in online traffic following the launch of the Small Business Wage Subsidy (SBWS) program.

It was referring to the P51-billion wage subsidy program which covers some 3.4 million workers employed by some 1.5 million small businesses hit by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Under the program, qualified workers will receive a wage subsidy of P5,000 to P8,000, based on the monthly regional minimum wage. --Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas/KBK, GMA News