THE Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is pushing for stronger cybersecurity among critical "infostructures" in the country, including business process outsourcing (BPO) firms, as it is vital for industry growth.
DICT Assistant Secretary Allan Cabanlong, in-charge for cybersecurity and enabling technologies, said during his recent visit to Bacolod City that one of the greatest problems of any business is disruption or "attack."
This disruption could be cyber-attack or network glitch which could lead to industry operation shutdown.
Cabanlong pointed out that the BPO sector is one of the major contributors to the country's gross domestic product.
In 2016, the sector contributed US$22 billion to the economy of the Philippines, he said.
"So just imagine if BPO firms will be shutdown like for a week, there is definitely a setback in the country's economy," Cabanlong said, adding that poor cybersecurity in the BPO industry could lead costumers and investors to withdraw resulting to unemployment among millions of local workers.
The DICT has included BPO as one of the 12 critical infostructures in the country that needs to be protected. Others include banks, airport, energy, and power grid, among others.
The protection of infostructures is one of the four key imperatives of the first National Cybersecurity Plan of the Philippines, which was launched on May 2.
The three other key imperatives are protection for government networks, protection for business and supply chains, and protection for individuals.
Under the plan, the agency has designed three programs to protect critical infostructures namely protection assessment, security assessment, and conduct of annual cyber drills.
Cabanlong said the conduct of cyber drills equips the industry's readiness if ever these infostructures will be attacked.
"Aside from economy, cyber-attacks can also affect political, social and technological stability of the country," he added.
Moreover, to further create more awareness on the need to ensure cybersecurity, the DICT conducted the first leg of its national cybersecurity caravan in Zamboanga City in April.
The activity attended by about 1,200 participants from different universities in Region 9 included conferences with the academic sector, particularly on the integration of cybersecurity to the education curriculum.
The DICT will also conduct the same caravan in cities of Bacolod and Iloilo this year, Cabanlong said.
"These caravans are aimed at educating, empowering and enabling individuals as well as creating awareness among the users who are the weakest link in cybersecurity," he added.