PLDT ramps up defense vs cyber threats, attacks

The PLDT Group is gearing up to ramp up its playbook against cyber threats and attacks after its Cyber Security Incident Response Team, or CSIRT, gained access to the global Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams, or FIRST.

As the first and only Philippine-based organization to join the FIRST, the PLDT Group’s CSIRT has gained recognition as a global leader in incident response.

The membership in FIRST allows the PLDT Group to proactively predict and swiftly respond to potential threats, effectively safeguarding their assets before they are compromised.

Treasure trove

“FIRST offers a treasure trove of information shared by more than 700 incident response teams from governments, businesses, and the academe in more than 100 countries around the world,” said Angel Redoble, chief information security officer at PLDT, Smart and ePLDT.

“As we continue to beef up our preventive and detective capabilities, FIRST also enables us to further protect and secure our customers and their data,” he added.

Founded in 1990, FIRST was convened to exchange information and foster cooperation on issues of mutual interest like new vulnerabilities or wide-ranging attacks following the computer security incidents known as the “Internet worm” that ground computers worldwide to a halt, and the “WANK worm” that trolled computers with random pop-up messages.

16 billion cyber attacks

The PLDT Group has successfully prevented over 16 billion cyber attacks and attempts to breach its network in 2023.

Additionally, the group has also stopped more than 18 billion attempts to open malicious domains during the same period.