More funds for DICT sought
FOLLOWING the series of hacking against government agencies including the House of Representatives website, the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) budget should be augmented.
This is according to Chairman of the House committee on appropriations and Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co as he said that the Lower Chamber is already working with Senate to look for more sources of funds for the DICT.
“We recognize the dire need of the DICT for resources to fight cybercrime and ransomware attacks,” Co said a day after the website of the House of Representatives was hacked by a group called “3MUSKETEERZ.”
Co said, for the continuing ransomware attacks, they convey to the Department of Budget and Management the urgent need for additional funds for the DICT and for government agencies being attacked and vulnerable to cyberattack.
“Perhaps, the additional resources can come from the Unprogrammed Funds of the 2023 national budget,” he said.
“Maybe some of vulnerable agencies’ savings can be authorized for augmentation spending on IT security and ransomware countermeasures,” Co added.
House Secretary General Reginald Velasco informed the public about the incident and vowed to address the problem.
“We wish to inform the public that the official website of the House of Representatives experienced unauthorized access earlier today,” he said.
Immediate steps have been taken to address the issue, and already working closely with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) and law enforcement agencies concerned to investigate the matter.
A troll face meme with the phrases “you’ve been hacked” and “have a nice day” was first published on the website. Below the troll’s face is the message, “Happy April Fullz Kahit October palang! Fix your Website.”
