Manila, Philippines — The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is currently verifying the report, received by the agency regarding an online post referring to a suspicious pop-up Wi-Fi or an unauthorized wireless network around the vicinity of the Senate of the Philippines.
According to the DICT, the information they currently have is still based solely on the said online post and has not yet been confirmed.
However, it is said to still pose a potential threat to government systems, particularly concerning important information and confidential files that may be accessed.
The agency assured that it is currently conducting validation and assessment activities at the Senate to determine whether the circulating online post is legitimate.
As part of DICT’s cybersecurity protocols, the Senate and other nearby agencies are being encouraged to review and strengthen their network security measures, such as monitoring wireless access points, unauthorized devices, and other unknown or questionable network activities.
The public is also advised to avoid connecting to unofficial and unverified Wi-Fi networks.
They are urged to disable automatic Wi-Fi connections on their devices and report suspicious Wi-Fi pop-ups, unauthorized network prompts, and unusual connectivity behavior.
Meanwhile, the public is assured that the DICT continues to monitor various government online services to prevent any hacking attempts or security breaches.
The public is likewise reminded to remain vigilant regarding online posts, especially those related to unverified cybersecurity information, as these may cause unnecessary concern and confusion.
It can be recalled that following the incident inside and outside the Senate on Wednesday, the DICT previously issued a reminder to the public that it is actively monitoring the spread of fake posts online across various social media platforms.