THE Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) on Saturday, September 23, 2023, said it is already probing what it termed as an "information security incident" that hit its system on Friday.
In a statement, PhilHealth President and Chief Executive Officer (P/CEO) Emmanuel Ledesma said it has already coordinated with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) in regard to the ransomware attack.
"We are currently investigating the matter together with concerned government agencies, which include the Department of Information and Communications Technology, to assess its extent," said Ledesma.
"Rest assured that we will get to the bottom of this and will institute stronger systems to prevent this from happening again in the future," he added.
While the investigation is ongoing, he said PhilHealth will need to implement "containment measures," including shutting down the whole system.
Ledesma appealed for patience from its members who are looking to access the PhilHealth system.
"We appeal for the public’s understanding regarding the matter," said Ledesma.
On Friday, PhilHealth experienced a Medusa ransomware attack in its system.
A Medusa ransomware attack is a type of malware that encrypts files and demands a ransom payment for the decryption key. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)