Focus on detecting threats, protecting data, firms urged

Angel Redoble, chief information security officer of ePLDT Inc., discusses cyber security during a seminar about the topic at Maayo hotel. CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON

Cyber security

Companies should have better understanding of cyber security to be able to protect their businesses from online threats.

“Instead of companies just focusing on expertise, implementation and, technology, intelligence is key. Being able to detect and predict should be one of the factors they should focus on,” said Angel Redoble, chief information security officer of ePLDT Inc., during last week’s forum on cyber security attended by businessmen of the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Redoble said that in defending the system, companies should have a stronger understanding of cyber security which are not only limited to firewalls.
He also said that education should specifically offer programs specializing in cyber security which is currently in demand.

He also cited the challenges of implementing cyber security, which include the complexity of defending data on an online space that has no gatekeepers and the lack of experts and specialists in the area locally.

He advised companies and businesses in Cebu to step up their game because traditional defenses would not be applicable anymore to protect their online data.

“Traditional defenses are no longer applicable because hackers have access to tools and tactics used by enterprise defenders,” Redoble said.

He said that security threats are done through rapidly evolving methods which companies have to combat to protect not only the company’s information but also its employees and any individual who avails of their services.

Wilson Ng, president and CEO of Ng Khai Development Corp., said that they had been using malware testing as their weapon against online security threats.

“The most basic weapon that we have been using for the last 20 years is what you would call malware testing,” said Ng, when asked about what efforts the company is doing for cyber security.

Ng said that antivirus programs and applications still greatly help in terminating virus or malware that tries to attain valuable information like key strokes and passwords.

Redoble suggested ePLDT’s Cyber Security Services for businesses as a solution to avoid cyber breach.

These services include assessing of security risk and establishment of appropriate security policies; tracking the source of the attack or risk; improving defense in case of future attacks; responding to cyber incidents; ensuring seamless operations on the website; optimizing threat security; and protecting data transfers.

DOJ official

Meanwhile, Geronimo Sy, assistant secretary of the Department of Justice (DOJ), said that individuals should also see the importance of cyber security and data privacy, but the usual “it won’t happen to me” thinking is what hinders most from doing so.

“This kind of thinking is one of the stumbling blocks on cyber security and data privacy because you never think that breaches, identity theft and the like will not happen to you,” said Sy.