Cyber Attacks Expected to Spike during FIFA World Cup 2018

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Fortinet Offers Cybersecurity Tips Amidst Global Football Frenzy

Fortinet, a global leader in broad, integrated and automated cyber security solutions, today cautioned ardent football fans in the Philippines to stay vigilant against cyber-attacks during the FIFA World Cup 2018 Tournament.

“Large-scale international sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup are major cyber-attack targets, even for ordinary individuals,” said Gavin Chow, Network and Security Strategist for Fortinet Asia Pacific. “Hackers know that in their excitement to watch the latest action or learn the latest scores, computer users often forget common sense and neglect safe computing habits.”

Fortinet expects a spike in online scams and phishing attacks as the world’s greatest football show gets underway, and offers five security tips to survive cyber threats during FIFA World Cup 2018:

1.    Be careful where you view live coverage: Whether viewing live coverage, event replays, or checking medal statistics online, it’s important to visit only trusted websites. Events which gain significant public interest and media coverage are often used as lures for spam or spear-phishing campaigns. Malicious actors may also create fake websites and domains that appear to be official Olympic news or coverage that can be used to deliver malware to an end-user upon visiting the site (also known as drive-by downloads or watering holes).

2.    Watch out for phishing attacks: Users may receive spam email announcing that they are the lucky winners of a lottery for tickets to the World Cup finals. While it may be highly tempting to click on an email link that says “You have won 2 tickets for the finals of the World Cup," be careful. By clicking on that link, you could be taken to a compromised website that downloads malware onto your computer, stealing your data and personal information.

3.    Beware of online retailers offering discounted tickets or cheap merchandise: If you come across an online store that is offering games tickets or merchandise at unbelievably low prices, check to make sure it’s a legitimate store and not a false front that will disappear later that day along with your credit card information. A real-life example of these sort of risks is detailed in our recent blog post “You Will Fall For This One Day...”

4.    Keep software updated: Running the most updated versions of your operating system, security software, apps and Web browsers is among the best defenses against malware, viruses and other online threats. Cyber-attackers usually target flaws and vulnerabilities in outdated browsers and plug-ins. It is best to have your security software and web browser update automatically to minimize exposure to known threats.

5.    Avoid public Wi-Fi hotspots: The World Cup games take place in the evenings (APAC time) when many of us are out of our homes. While it can be tempting, avoid connecting to unknown Wi-Fi hotspots to watch the games. An insecure hotspot makes it easier for hackers to intercept logins and passwords, email messages, attached documents and other personal and confidential information. If you must use Wi-Fi, use authorized access points which have password protected encryption.

Benildean Filmmakers Earn Urian Nods

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Two alumni of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde Digital Filmmaking program (BenildeFilm) will vie for the Best Short Film award at the 41st Gawad Urian to be held on June 14, Thursday, at the ABS-CBN Vertis Tent in Quezon City.

Kim Timan's Caramel Child and Carl Chavez's Sorry for the Inconvenience are nominated in the short film category along with Glenn Barit's Aliens Ata, Keith Deligero's Babylon, TM Malones' Bawod, Dennis Hubag's Empyreus, Kiri Dalena's Gikan Sa Ngitngit Nga Kinailadman (From the Dark Depths), Carlo Francisco Manatad's Jodilerks Dela Cruz, Employee of the Month, Maje Papin's and Ef Orpiada Jr.'s Lutab, Kyle Fermindoza's Manggagarab, Roanna Mercado's Piko, Edmund Telmo's Redempsyon, Christian Candelaria's Sa Saiyang Isla and Xeph Suarez's Si Astri Maka Si Tambulah (Astri and Tambulah).

Set in the year 2003, Caramel Child tells the story of Katherine Kaye Jones (Angelica Ulip), or Kakay, the daughter of a call girl, Ellie Pilorin (Sue Prado), and an absent American man. A poster of the Regional Science Quiz Bee and her mother’s American client (Savino Bellini) will trigger Kakay’s curiosity and determination to look for her father.

Caramel Child brought home Best Film, Best Director (Timan), Best Screenplay (Timan and Lino Balmes), Best Performer (Ulip) and Best Musical Score (Marcus Santos and Joseph Salcedo) at Pelikultura: The CALABARZON Film Festival 2018. The film also received the Best Screenplay award at De La Salle University’s Indie Un-film Festival 2017 and it is also one of the finalists in the short film category of Cinema One Originals Festival last November.

On the other hand, Sorry for the Inconvenience is about a timid teenager (Ronwaldo Martin) who comes home one night after being beaten up by the school’s bully. With revenge on his mind, the teenager decides to take matters into his own hands. When things don’t go as planned, he is left with no choice but to seek help from his policeman father (Simon Ibarra).

Sorry for the Inconvenience won Best Short Film at Cinema One Originals last year and it also competed at the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival.

Meanwhile, Respeto leads the Best Film race with 12 nominations, followed by Balangiga: Howling Wilderness with 10 nods, Tu Pug Imatuy with nine, The Chanters with seven, and Bhoy Intsik and Birdshot with six apiece.

The Natatanging Gawad Urian will be given this year to jazz pianist, composer and musical director Winston Raval.

Smart ECBS Boosts NDRRMC Disaster Preparedness Efforts

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The Philippines’ disaster preparedness and response agency is now better equipped to send alerts to the public in times of calamities.

PLDT wireless unit Smart Communications has turned over communications equipment to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) so that the government disaster agency can access Smart’s Emergency Cell Broadcast System (ECBS) and use it to quickly send public warnings to mobile phone users in specific areas.

The ECBS is designed to send urgent messages, such as evacuation notices and earthquake and tsunami warnings to activated mobile devices within the affected area.  Cell broadcast is effective in disseminating quick hazard alerts because it operates on a radio channel separate from those used by voice calls and text messages or SMS (short messaging service), which may get congested in times of calamities.

NDRRMC, the National Telecommunications Commission, and Smart, launched ECBS on a trial basis in March last year. It has since been used to broadcast quick alerts during typhoons and post-earthquake situations.  Most recently, ECBS messages were sent to Albay residents in the wake of the eruption of the Mayon Volcano.  During this trial period, the alert messages were sent by the NDRRMC to Smart which then transmitted the messages. With the turnover, NDRRMC personnel will be trained on how to use the equipment to send out messages themselves.

“The roles of NDRRMC, warning agencies, and telecommunication companies are essential in the creation and dissemination of emergency alerts. The collaboration of these three components is vital in achieving a common goal—to reduce the damage caused by natural hazards,” said Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Deputy Administrator Nicanor Faeldon in his welcome remarks. OCD is the implementing arm of NDRRMC.

“For example, in case of a strong earthquake or tsunami, we have only a few minutes to prepare. If we have a system that delivers messages quickly, we can inform the residents right away and have enough time for evacuation,” Faeldon added.

Smart invested over P500 million on ECBS to fully comply with Republic Act No. 10639 or the Free Mobile Disaster Alerts Act. RA 10639 mandates telecommunications service providers to send free mobile alerts in the event of natural and man-made disasters and calamities.

PLDT and Smart public affairs head Ramon R. Isberto pointed out that ECBS was meant to complement other channels of information such as radio, TV, print, online, SMS, and other forms of media.

“In emergency situations, it is important to use all available channels of communications.  Cell broadcast provides another effective emergency alert system that will work very well with print media, radio and TV broadcasting, two-way radio systems and SMS.  Disaster agencies and organizations must learn how to use the various communications channels effectively,” said Isberto.

During the turnover ceremony, the NDRRMC also reconvened representatives of its warning agencies to discuss preparations for the use of ECBS. These officials presented their templates and draft messages for public warnings using ECBS which had been developed in an earlier workshop.  They also discussed guidelines to define the right scenarios for using ECBS and the proper ways for crafting alert messages.

ECBS can help the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) in its information dissemination efforts, according to weather observer Resly George Amador, who attended the workshop. “In case of severe weather situations such as during tropical cyclones, ECBS can help spread information faster to all affected communities,” he said.

The ECBS is part of Smart’s #SafePH disaster preparedness advocacy, which aims to help build more resilient communities through technology and on-ground activities.

Apart from ECBS, the other programs under #SafePH include TNT Tropang Ready, which tours schools nationwide to educate the youth on preparedness and empower them to mobilize their communities in times of calamities; and the Batingaw disaster management app, which allows users to report incidents and features tools such as a flashlight, a siren, a radio, and a directory of emergency contact numbers.

Smart has also provided communications support during earthquake drills and in areas affected by calamities in the form of Libreng Tawag, Charging and Wi-Fi (free calls, charging and Wi-Fi) stations, free text and data bundles, portable cell sites, and satellite emergency solutions, among other services.