A surge in online threats against the Philippines has amplified fears of a “cyber cold war” among security analysts, following Communications Minister Ivan Uy’s warning that “World War III is happening” in the digital realm.
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“World War III is happening and it is cyber,” Uy told Reuters in a recent interview, adding that the weapons used in this type of warfare were non-kinetic.
“They are cyber, digital, virtual, but it’s happening, but the attacks and defences are happening as we speak, without any physical manifestation.”
Uy’s comments came after the Philippine government confirmed that it had detected foreign attempts to access its intelligence data on Tuesday, but clarified that no breaches had been recorded.
He noted that Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), often state-sponsored actors engaged in malign cyber operations, had failed to infiltrate the Philippines’ government systems despite multiple attempts. “Hopefully it’s because our cyber defences and cybersecurity are strong enough,” he added.
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In January, Uy also confirmed attacks on the Office of the President’s systems but denied that sensitive military information was stolen, after Bloomberg reported that state-backed hackers from China had stolen military data from the country’s executive branch in a year-long effort from 2023 to 2024.