The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) on Monday said four of its web-based systems were attacked and compromised on Sunday, 16 June this year.
The agency said it Immediately deployed personnel at its central office to implement expeditious measures ensuring against further damage and the integrity of the systems.
The MARINA Information Technology (IT) team, with the assistance of the Department of Information and Communications Technology-Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (DICT-CICC), is conducting an investigation.
Accelerated efforts to mitigate the data breach and have the systems operational to receive and process applications on Tuesday, 18 June have also been adopted.
“The MARINA commits to strengthen its cyber security protocols to prevent any future cyber attack,” the agency said.
Other government agencies, including the Philippine Health Insurance Corp., Department of Science and Technology, and Bureau of Customs, have previously been targeted by rogue cyberagents.
According to a report by cybersecurity software developer Kaspersky, 15,312 ransomware incidents have been reported in the Philippines since 2023, the fourth largest in Southeast Asia (SEA).
Ransomware targeting businesses in the region last year was highest in Thailand with 109,315 incidents blocked by Kaspersky. Indonesia trails closely with 97,226 ransomware attacks and Vietnam with 59,837.
The Philippines ranked fourth with 15,312 malicious encryptors, followed by Malaysia with 4,982, and Singapore with 741.
