THE Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is on high alert, monitoring for a possible Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) cyberattack that could slow or disrupt government and financial websites, the agency said.
The DICT, has been on close watch against the potential DDoS attack yesterday, Nov. 5, which could result in websites and applications slowing down or becoming inaccessible due to a “traffic flood.”
DICT Secretary Henry Aguda pointed out the importance of precautionary measures.
“It is better to be safe than sorry,” Aguda said in an emailed statement.
The agency cited a possible Distributed Denial of Service attack as one of the factors potentially causing sluggishness in government systems and financial platforms.
This type of cyberattack utilizes numerous compromised devices to overwhelm a server or network with traffic, causing delays or making it unusable.
Aguda explained that the threat could be “global” in scale and noted that DICT personnel were preparing with partner agencies to mitigate any damage.
The DICT insisted, however, that a DDoS attack is not a data breach, and no personal information, accounts, or money would be stolen.
The agency urged the public to remain vigilant, to use official applications or status pages for updates, and to avoid engaging in illegal online activities.
