Senate probe on 'cyberattack' allegedly from China sought

An investigation into the recent cyberattack on several government websites allegedly carried out by one of three Chinese state-sponsored cyber-intrusion groups has been sought in the Senate.

Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros has filed proposed Senate Resolution 923, which directs the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security to conduct the probe in aid of legislation.

"Now therefore, be it resolved as it is hereby resolved to call for the Senate committee on national defense and security to conduct an investigation in aid of legislation into a foreign government-sponsored cyber intrusion affecting government agencies, including those directly involved in safeguarding national interests in the West Philippine Sea," Hontiveros wrote in the resolution.

Over the weekend, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said hackers believed to be operating from China breached the email systems and internal websites of government agencies that used a cloud service provider, most likely to gather information.

Some of the targeted emails include the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), the Office of the Cabinet Secretary, the Department of Justice, the National Coast Watch System, the House of Representatives, and the DICT itself.

Hontiveros also noted that the DICT reported that several private domains were also targeted, including the website of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.

The "academically perfect" cyber-attack, as described by the DICT, was reportedly performed by one of the three Chinese state-sponsored cyber-intrusion groups classified as Advanced Persistent Threats (APTS), namely the Lonely Island, Meander, and Panda.

"Considering the possibility that malware has been installed on Philippine critical defense networks for the purpose of long-term surveillance, these recent cyber-intrusions threaten to compromise resupply missions to Ayungin shoal, the security of Philippine Armed Forces personnel stationed on the BRP Sierra Madre, and wider Philippine national interests in the West Philippine Sea," she said.

The lawmaker mentioned a report by Unit 42, a Palo Alto research arm closely studying cyber-attacks, late last year which showed that a series of attacks targeting a Southeast Asian government was found to have been carried out by three separate threat actors affiliated with Chinese interests, in which multiple critical government entities were compromised.

After the cyber-intrusion, the perpetrators attempted to install tools and malware to maintain a foothold in the environment and establish persistence, for long-term surveillance, Hontiveros noted.

In a separate statement, Hontiveros asserted that the government must divert its focus to the intrusions made by China instead of Charter change (Cha-cha).

"This is a major cyberattack. While we are all busy cleaning up the mess of the sham 'People's Initiative,' China has taken advantage of the current instability in the country to strike at our vulnerabilities," the senator said, adding that, "Dapat ito ang pagtuunan ng pansin, hindi yung mga pekeng insiyatibo na nanggugulo lang sa mga Pilipino. (This should be given attention, not the fake initiatives that only bother Filipinos.)"

"Tama na ChaCha, Tsina ang mas malaking problema. Let us stop wasting time on changing the Constitution. Unahin na natin ang mga problema sa ekonomiya at ang napakalaking banta na dala ng Tsina," she ended.

(Enough of this Cha-cha. China is a bigger problem. Let us stop wasting time on changing the Constitution. Let us prioritize the problem of our economy and the bigger threat that China brings.)

On Monday, China dismissed as "groundless" the allegations that Chinese hackers attempted to breach the email systems and internal websites of several Philippine government agencies.

A spokesperson from the Chinese Embassy said Beijing "firmly opposes and cracks down on all forms of cyber attack in accordance with law, allows no country or individual to engage in cyber attack and other illegal activities on Chinese soil or using Chinese infrastructure."

"Some Filipino officials and media maliciously speculated about and groundlessly accused China of engaging in cyber attacks against the Philippines, even went as far as connecting these cyber attacks with the South China Sea disputes," the spokesperson countered.

"Such remarks are highly irresponsible," the spokesperson added.

The Chinese official said cybersecurity is a "global challenge" and called on countries to safeguard cybersecurity through dialogue and cooperation. — VDV, GMA Integrated News