PLDT and its wireless division, Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart), caution internet users that hackers are increasingly targeting employees to bypass corporate cybersecurity defences.
PLDT and Smart’s Cyber Security Operations Group (CSOG) say hackers exploit unsuspecting employees to gain access to company networks rather than directly confronting security software.
“Vigilance is key. Cybercriminals take advantage of the employee’s carelessness to steal his or her credentials, which they will use to infiltrate the company’s digital assets. This is why it is important for organizations to adopt a culture of cybersecurity,” remarked Angel T. Redoble, FVP and Chief Information Security Officer of the PLDT Group.
Citing a report by Romanian cybersecurity technology firm Bitdefender, CSOG states that hackers target employees 99% of the time using social engineering to manipulate victims into divulging their personal information.
This can be done through phishing emails, vishing, or SMShing that impersonate legitimate communications or messages from a known company.
PLDT and Smart offer several tips to protect against these attacks:
- Interact only with known individuals and trust only reputable applications and websites. Avoid opening emails from strangers or clicking links from questionable sources.
- Update applications and operating systems on your devices when prompted to receive the latest security patches addressing known vulnerabilities. However, CSOG advises users to click legitimate alerts from official developer platforms.
- Enable Multi-Factor Authenticators for added protection. This feature also alerts users when suspicious entities attempt to access accounts from unknown devices or locations. Never share your One-Time Passwords (OTPs) with anyone.
- Use strong, lengthy passwords that combine special characters, upper and lowercase letters, and numbers. CSOG also recommends using different passwords for various accounts and changing them regularly.
- If you encounter a suspicious or malicious message, take a screenshot and send it to cybersecurityincidents@smart.com.ph. You can also report other cybersecurity issues like phishing, vishing, and malicious domains through this channel.
PLDT and Smart’s efforts to share CyberSmart tips and protect customers from cyber threats are part of the PLDT Group’s broader program to enhance customer experience by safeguarding them from cyber-attacks.
