PH target of state-backed hackers from China – NICA

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is being targeted by state-affiliated hacking groups from China, a high-ranking official of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) confirmed on Tuesday.

At the Senate panel on women’s final probe into Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos), NICA Deputy Director General Ashely Acedillo bared that the hacking groups are called “Chinese Advanced Persistent Threat” (APT) groups.

“With the information that we have, we can confirm that indeed Chinese APT groups are operating or targeting the Philippines, whether government or private sector entities. We have monitored some of them and again, in an executive session, if required we can share some information,” Acedillo said.

Before Acedillo’s admission, panel chair Sen. Risa Hontiveros asked him to confirm reports that the Philippines is a victim of espionage.

According to reports from international media, a Chinese-sponsored telecommunications hack perpetrated by threat actors called APT40 and APT41 recently attacked the United States as well.

Acedillo said APTs are state-backed “advanced and highly sophisticated hacking groups” and they may be cybercriminal groups as well.

“They are differentiated from normal individual hackers or disorganized and non-sophisticated hackers because of their resources, the personnel that they have, and the sophisticated skills that they possess. So much so that they are believed to be largely state-trained or state-sponsored or state-backed,” he explained.

According to the NICA official, APTs seek to achieve “certain asymmetric advantages” without using state resources and providing a convenient deniable link to such groups.

Hontiveros said she and her colleagues would wait for the conduct of an executive session in line with their preparation of a committee report on the issue.

“These threat groups are described as advanced and persistent. It raises concerns, and also the possible relationship to what is being done in other countries as well,” said Hontiveros.

READ: Chinese spies enter PH through Pogos – Hontiveros