As part of its efforts to protect itself from cyber attack, Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. announced that the agency is now beefing up its operational security as well as exploring ways to enhance cybersecurity infrastructure and processes.
And while government process models advance openness, transparency, and competitiveness, especially in acquisitions, this could be “anathema to actual realities of cybersecurity, even in cooperation.”
“Naturally, cooperation in cybersecurity entails a critical political analysis of your foreign partners, like-minded nations, and treaty partners. Your friend today could be an adversary tomorrow in different aspects,” Teodoro said.
Noting vulnerabilities in cyberspace, he added that the DND is transitioning into stricter operational security, which “starts from individual security, facility security, to digital hygiene, to the architecture that we’re going to put into our systems.”
“So we have to start from base zero. We have had a gap analysis, and there’s a lot to do. We have to put in the right infrastructure, architecture, hardware, software, protocols, and hygiene,” the DND chief noted.
“Secondly, contrary to government rules of just-in-time, inventory, etc., we will be building in redundancy, taking into account vendor reliability or servicing reliability,” he added.
And as national security is of paramount importance, Teodoro stressed the need to create government standards for accountability and prevention rules and regulations to avoid abuse.
He also encouraged the academe to spur further research and development, in consonance with the President’s instructions, to utilize the vast potentials of the country for the provision of revenue, security, and employment to all Filipinos.