Christy Balita
Research expert covering the Philippines
Cybersecurity and cybercrime in the Philippines - statistics & facts
A database containing over a million police records and around 800 gigabytes of personal data of employees and applicants in the law enforcement agency in the Philippines was breached in early 2023. This was just one of the many incidents of data breaches recorded in the country in recent years as it moves toward digitalizing services and the adopting digital financial technologies. Similar cyber incidents were reported, especially at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when a larger share of Filipinos resorted to online shopping for their essential and non-essential purchases. Although the number of reported incidents declined post-pandemic, measures must be taken to ensure the security of users and businesses against online perpetrators.
While cyber-attacks were more targeted toward individuals, companies who started migrating their businesses online also became susceptible. Although the number of incidents has declined since the pandemic, such attacks continue challenging business operations and their remote employees, especially as targeted organizations paid an average ransom of 1.34 million U.S. dollars in 2021. A recent survey also revealed that data loss and theft of intellectual property were the leading cyber security concerns of most businesses.
Heightened cyber incidents triggered by the pandemic
Rapid digitalization and increasing internet usage, especially at the height of the global pandemic, increased the risks of cyber threats among Filipino online users. Perpetrators have taken advantage of the country’s modest cybersecurity market and the lack of cyber hygiene among internet users, which has resulted in various incidents of data breaches and cyber-attacks. Among the various types of attacks, phishing is the most prevalent, which occurs when a malicious actor sends an email that may seem to come from a legitimate source to steal sensitive information. Although no recent figures were available, the first half of 2022 recorded about 1.83 million phishing attacks in the country. In addition, crypto phishing attacks also commenced as this type of digital currency became more popular. Increased cyber threats were also recorded among online shoppers, particularly online scams on legitimate retail websites, identity theft, and ransomware.While cyber-attacks were more targeted toward individuals, companies who started migrating their businesses online also became susceptible. Although the number of incidents has declined since the pandemic, such attacks continue challenging business operations and their remote employees, especially as targeted organizations paid an average ransom of 1.34 million U.S. dollars in 2021. A recent survey also revealed that data loss and theft of intellectual property were the leading cyber security concerns of most businesses.
Can cyber-attacks be prevented?
For cyber threats to be prevented, certain measures should be deployed to deter cyber criminals from exploiting security vulnerabilities or weaknesses. For businesses, it is important to create a cybersecurity strategy and implement policies that would protect them from these types of attacks. A 2022 survey highlighted how a larger share of companies in the Philippines were still at the formative stage of their cybersecurity readiness or had some level of cybersecurity deployment but were performing below the average. On an individual level, cyber hygiene must be implemented as attacks increase in sophistication.
