The Philippines recently announced that it fended off a cyber-attack on the websites and e-mail systems of the president and government agencies as well, one of which promoted maritime (naval) security.
, which came from the information and communications ministry, stated that the Department of Information and Communications Technology website, as well as the personal website for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, were targets of the unsuccessful hacking attempt.
"We are not attributing this to any state. But using the internet protocol addresses, we pinpointed it to China," DICT spokesman Paraiso said.
He added that the hackers were traced and found to be using the services of Chinese state-owned Unicom.
"We are appealing to the Chinese government to help us prevent further attacks."
The attacks come at a time of rising tensions between China and the Philippines over long-standing disputes over territory in the South China Sea.
Some Background
Last year it was announced that the Philippines would be launching a five-year cybersecurity strategy to fortify its defenses against the ongoing threat of cyberattacks and digital crimes.
At the time, the country had frequently been the victim of cyberattacks, and the chief of the armed forces stated that many of the almost daily attacks were coming from overseas.
The lower house of Congress, as well as other government entities, were the targets of the attacks.
"Instead of recruiting soldiers for infantry battalions, this time we will recruit cyber warriors," General Romeo Brawner told reporters.
"There is this general realization that this new breed of warriors does not have to be muscle strong."
"We have experienced this almost every day," Brawner said, of the attacks, though adding none had been successful.
"We believe some of the attacks are foreign."
At the time, officials did not name China, or a proxy, as the perpetrators of these attacks.
Cyber defense training was part of joint exercises with U.S. forces last year highlighting the growing importance of cyber resilience in defense strategy.
