PLDT and Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) underscored the importance of a multi-pronged cybersecurity strategy at the recent Telecoms World Asia 2022 conference in Bangkok, Thailand.
“Cybersecurity has become a national agenda. We need allies from the government and private organizations to keep Filipinos safe against cyberattacks. We are no longer securing systems, we are keeping entire communities safe,” urged Angel Redoble, FVP and Chief Information Security Officer of PLDT and Smart.
The PLDT Group is helping build a state-of-the-art cybersecurity center at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City. The facility will boost the military’s cyber defense capabilities as part of its modernization. PLDT and Smart’s Cyber Security Operations Group (CSOG) likewise led capacity building seminars with the Air Force’s cyber warriors.
PLDT and Smart also recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Philippine Army’s Cyber Battalion for cyberthreat intelligence information sharing.
Redoble said that with cybersecurity embedded into the PLDT Group’s core business model, CSOG is effectively empowered to carry out its mission.
The Group’s 3-billion-peso investment in its cybersecurity infrastructure has thus far paved the way for CSOG to amass more than 123 million Indicators of Compromise (IOC) in the company’s threat intelligence database. This has made it possible for PLDT and Smart to thwart over 114 million cyberattacks and data breaches, as well as block 13 billion attempts to open malicious domains by the end of September this year.
PLDT and Smart also foster a culture of cybersecurity in the workplace. From being the weakest link to becoming force multipliers, CSOG’s regular awareness and phishing simulations have boosted the capability of PLDT and Smart employees in identifying malicious files. So far, employee reports have grown six-fold since simulations were launched. And the best news is, the Group has not suffered any breach due to employee negligence.
PLDT and Smart help curb fraudulent activities online to elevate the quality of customer experience by protecting them from threats and attacks. These efforts are also aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal No. 9 on Industries, Innovation and Infrastructure.
