The Department of Information and Communications Technology’s (DICT) said Wednesday hackers “infiltrated” its testing website, but no sensitive information was compromised.
DICT spokesperson Renato Paraiso confirmed that the agency’s sandbox site, where it tests potential vulnerabilities, had been “infiltrated.”
“It’s isolated in this particular site. This is a sandbox environment wherein we test our VAPTs [Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing]. We test our scanners as well,” Paraiso said.
“This site is also being used to study and gather data on other methods of hacking,” he said.
Paraiso said the public should not be worried because no sensitive information was compromised.
He said, however, the DICT was constantly upgrading its website and the systems of other government agencies.
Among the government websites targeted by hackers are those of the House of Representatives, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Philippine National Police (PNP) and Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
The website of Philippine Health Insurance Corp. was hit by a Medusa Ransom attack last month.
Paraiso warned the public against using AI-powered photo generator apps that may comprise their personal information.
“Any application that would ask for your personal data or even your biometric or facial recognition should be a cause for concern,” he said.
Paraiso said personal data may be potentially used to harm them. “We agree that our countrymen should be careful with apps that share personal information,” he said.
The EPIK app, which was developed by South Korea-based Snow Corp., has gone viral, which uses artificial intelligence to generate 90s-style graduation photos. The paid app requires users to upload 8 to 12 selfies.
The National Privacy Commission and the National Bureau of Investigation earlier advised the public not to use AI-powered photo generators because it could be used for identity theft.