The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) reported on Saturday that it successfully blocked cyberattacks originating “within China.” The attacks targeted the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the mailboxes of DICT, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and President Marcos’ official website.
DICT Undersecretary Jeffrey Ian Dy disclosed that the attempted hacking of OWWA’s web applications occurred about three weeks ago, with the IP address traced to China.
Despite being a brute force attack, DICT managed to repel it, uncovering the command and control operating from within China, specifically associated with China Unicom, a state-owned telecommunications company.
Dy mentioned the need for coordination with China Unicom for further investigation.
When questioned about potential involvement of the Chinese government, he clarified that they couldn’t confirm that, stating only that the threat actors operated from within Chinese territory.