Marcos orders DICT to prepare for possible DDoS cyberattacks

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has ordered the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to prepare for possible Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) cyberattacks on Wednesday, November 5, 2025.

Citing a message from the DICT, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro on Tuesday said the department confirmed receiving such a directive from the President.

The DICT reported to Malacañang that it had activated "Oplan CyberDome" to ensure that all "digital services of the government as well as privately-operated critical information infrastructure such as banks, telcos, hospitals, etc. are also protected and ready to respond to any DDoS attacks."

The agency also said the "public is assured that the government and the private sectors are working hand-in-hand to ensure all digital services are available and secure."

"Sa ngayon wala pang naibibigay na pinaka-detalye at siguro manatili muna ito na hindi muna ipaalam para 'yung kanilang magiging trabaho ay makikita na agad nang nais gumambala at sumira sa maaaring gawin sa gobyerno," Castro added.

(The DICT has yet to provide us with the details on how they will address the possible attacks. However, we think that is for the best to avoid the attackers to know their next steps.)

Asked if the public can avail of in-person government services should there be a disruption on online services, Castro answered: "Yes, opo. Yan ang assurance ng DICT." (Yes, that is the DICT's assurance.)

Over the weekend, the DICT announced that it would monitor the potential DDoS or "traffic flood," where multiple devices overwhelm a targeted system, server, or network, on November 5.

The DICT assured that personal accounts, data, or money were not at risk of being stolen.

According to a "24 Oras" report by Raffy Tima, the Cybercrime Investigation Coordinating Center (CICC) reported that hacking incidents increased worldwide every November 5.

“They adopted the Guy Fawkes incident incident in UK. They even adopted the Guy Fawkes mask as a symbol nung mga hackers natin lalo na yung anonymous hackers natin (of the hackers in our country, especially those who are anonymous),” CICC deputy executive director Renato Paraiso said.

He added that hackers usually use DDoS to hack, which slows down the target website until it is unusable.

Although November 5 is a day of protest, some criminals might exploit it to commit cybercrime, especially since the government has noticed an increase in online scams.

“Dahil Kapaskuhan, nagkakaroon ng increase doon sa mga commercial scams at mga love scams so which is usually the trend tuwing magpa pasko kasi nga maraming naghahanap ng discount at yun naman ang ginagawang pampain nung mga threat actors na ito,’ Paraiso said.

(The number of commercial and love scams increases during the Christmas season. It is the usual trend because many are looking for discounts. Threat actors use that to bait victims.)

Meanwhile, netizens in the Philippines were urged to do the following:

• Try the website or app after some time
• Use the official app/ status page
• Follow verified updates
• Avoid engaging in illegal online attacks

The DICT also reminded the public to be alert, calm, and responsible in using the internet and said the public may also report incidents at 1326@dict.gov.ph or call the 1326 hotline. —With Celine Serquina/ VDV, GMA Integrated News