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CLI allots higher capex, partners with Japan firm
Cebu Landmasters Inc. is hiking its capital spending to P14.5 billion this year as it gears up for growth and expansion following a strong financial performance in 2023......»»
The importance of cyber security
Cyberattacks are on the rise! In the past, we associated this terrifying incident with online banks and payment platforms. However, even government websites, not known as financial institutions, from which money may be stolen, or unauthorized payments are also targets. Last Sunday, 15 October, the website of the House of Representatives was vandalized before noon by a group calling itself “3MUSKETEERZ.” A face with a mocking meme with the phrases “You’ve been hacked” and “Have a nice day” appeared on the website. Below the face was the message, “Happy April Fullz Kahit October palang (even if it’s still)! Fix your website.” A few minutes later, the website went down and became inaccessible. Shortly after, the House of Representatives issued a statement assuring the public that the House had already taken action and coordinated with the government agencies concerned to deal with the matter. “While we work to restore the website fully, we ask for patience and understanding. We are committed to ensure the security and integrity of our digital platforms, and we will implement additional measures to prevent such incidents in the future,” the statement said. Relatedly, also recall that on 22 September, a system of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation was similarly attacked, preventing access for a week. Reports stated the data breach affected employees’ workstations, application servers, and users’ data, including names, addresses, dates of birth, gender, phone numbers and PhilHealth identification numbers. On 31 August, the Department of Science and Technology’s OneExpert portal was also subjected to a cyberattack. In a statement on 13 October, the DoST assured the general public that the virtual assault compromised no personal data. In all the above instances, whether personal data or sensitive information were stolen, it causes alarm to us Filipinos. The call to government agencies and ordinary Filipinos to be vigilant and careful with our online information and accounts has become louder than ever. The same holds true for institutions and businesses, which, by the nature of their activities, are entrusted with and tasked to safeguard large amounts of personal information and are responsible for keeping this trust by whatever means appropriate. I now want to stress the importance of cyber security not just for individuals and juridical entities but for the entire nation holistically. Protection against cyber threats: In today’s digital age, cyber threats like hacking, data breaches, and identity theft are becoming more prevalent. Implementing robust cyber security measures helps protect us from these threats. Safeguarding sensitive information: Cyber security also helps protect sensitive information such as personal data, financial details and intellectual property. This is crucial for maintaining privacy and preventing unauthorized access or misuse of information. Maintaining trust, reputation, and credibility: Cyber security is essential for building trust with customers, clients, and partners. Organizations can maintain a positive reputation and avoid potential legal and financial consequences by committing to protecting their data and privacy. Compliance with regulations: Many industries have specific regulations and standards regarding data protection and privacy. Compliance with these regulations is not only important for avoiding penalties but also for ensuring ethical practices and responsible handling of data. Business continuity: Cyber attacks can disrupt operations, leading to financial losses, reputational damage, and even business closure. Implementing effective cyber security measures helps minimize these risks and ensures business continuity. Finally, I want to end by being deliberately redundant in stating that cyber security is crucial for protecting individuals, organizations, and society from the growing threat landscape in the digital world. Cyber attackers are on the prowl; we must be alert to the possibility of attack, ready even now to implement measures to effectively counter-act or prevent the same. The post The importance of cyber security appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
UK water firms facing legal fight over pollution incidents
An environmental academic said Wednesday she had filed the first of multiple planned court actions against British water companies for underreporting pollution incidents and overcharging customers, in breach of UK laws. Carolyn Roberts, a professor and water and environment consultant, revealed she had lodged an initial claim against Severn Trent Water and planned further legal actions against five other firms on behalf of more than 20 million customers. Roberts, who is represented by the well-known British law firm Leigh Day, estimates the companies could face compensation bills of over £800 million ($1 billion) if the cases are successful. The first claim, filed last week against Severn Trent on behalf of eight million people, is estimated to be worth more than £330 million. It comes amid a long-running scandal over privatized water firms pumping raw sewage into waterways, provoking widespread public anger and promises of increased regulatory scrutiny from the government. Ministers announced last month that companies and individuals polluting Britain's rivers and other ecosystems will be liable for unlimited fines. "Like many others across the country, I have viewed with horror the escalating number of stories in the media regarding the volume of sewage discharged into our waterways and onto our beaches," Roberts said in a statement. "It appears that because of the serial and serious underreporting at the heart of these claims, water companies have been avoiding being penalized by Ofwat," she added, referring to the sector's regulator in the UK. "I believe this has resulted in consumers being unfairly overcharged for sewage services." Industry body Water UK said the accusations are "entirely without merit" and that 99 percent of sewage works are legally compliant. However, Roberts and Leigh Day said they intend to bring similar "collective actions" against Thames Water, United Utilities, Anglian Water, Yorkshire Water, and Northumbrian Water. They urged the companies' millions of customers to visit a website created to assess their eligibility for compensation. "These companies have allegedly been misleading their regulators by underreporting the number of pollution incidents, being discharges of wastewater from a company sewerage asset adversely affecting the water environment and resulting in higher customer bills," a statement on it read. Last month, a UK court fined Thames Water, the nation's biggest supplier, £3.3 million for polluting rivers. The fine came shortly after the UK's privatized water companies pledged to make massive investments to avoid repeats of the contamination. The post UK water firms facing legal fight over pollution incidents appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Chinese hackers breached US govt email accounts: Microsoft
Chinese-based hackers seeking intelligence information breached the email accounts of a number of US government agencies, computer giant Microsoft said. "The threat actor Microsoft links to this incident is an adversary based in China that Microsoft calls Storm-0558," the company said in a blog post late Tuesday. Microsoft said Storm-0558 gained access to email accounts at approximately 25 organizations including government agencies. Microsoft did not identify any of the targets but a US State Department spokesperson said the department had "detected anomalous activity" and had taken "immediate steps to secure our systems." "As a matter of cybersecurity policy, we do not discuss details of our response and the incident remains under investigation," the spokesperson said. According to The Washington Post, the breached email accounts were unclassified, and "Pentagon, intelligence community and military email accounts did not appear to be affected." In the blog post, Charlie Bell, a Microsoft executive vice president, said "We assess this adversary is focused on espionage, such as gaining access to email systems for intelligence collection. "This type of espionage-motivated adversary seeks to abuse credentials and gain access to data residing in sensitive systems," Bell said. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan addressed the hack in an appearance on Wednesday on ABC's Good Morning America, and said it had been detected "fairly rapidly." "We were able to prevent further breaches," Sullivan said. "The matter is still being investigated, so I have to leave it there because we're gathering further information in consultation with Microsoft and we will continue to apprise the public as we learn more," Sullivan said. Microsoft said Storm-0558 "primarily targets government agencies in Western Europe and focuses on espionage, data theft, and credential access." The Redmond, Washington-based company said it had launched an investigation into "anomalous mail activity" on June 16. "Over the next few weeks, our investigation revealed that beginning on May 15, 2023, Storm-0558 gained access to email accounts affecting approximately 25 organizations including government agencies as well as related consumer accounts," it said. "They did this by using forged authentication tokens to access user email using an acquired Microsoft account consumer signing key," the company said. "Microsoft has completed mitigation of this attack for all customers." US Senator Mark Warner, chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said the panel is "closely monitoring what appears to be a significant cybersecurity breach by Chinese intelligence." "It's clear that the PRC is steadily improving its cyber collection capabilities directed against the US and our allies," Warner said in a statement. The post Chinese hackers breached US govt email accounts: Microsoft appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
End callous practice
Airlines’ practice of excessive overbooking, as proven in previous seat sales with huge discounts that resulted in passengers being bumped off, carries stiff penalties if the aggrieved party is persistent enough. The Mandaue City regional trial court recently provided the precedent for complaints from the army of disgruntled flyers when it ordered Cebu Pacific Air to pay P500,000 in damages to Cebu 6th District provincial board member Glenn Soco who was bumped off his scheduled flight from Manila to Cebu. Mandaue City RTC Branch 55 Presiding Judge Ferdinand Rafanan ordered Cebu Pacific to pay moral damages of P200,000, exemplary damages of P200,000, and P100,000 in attorneys and litigation expenses. The catch for Soco is that it took 12 years before he received just compensation for his ordeal, which is a stretch that entailed legal expenses that many Filipinos cannot afford. The compensation may even be short of the amount spent to keep track of the case, including the lawyer’s fees. Soco’s case, however, will greatly contribute to halting the excesses of airline firms through the indiscriminate denial of the service promised to their clients. He sued the airline for “breach of the obligation to transport him,” which he claimed had caused him inconvenience, serious anxiety, physical suffering, and sleepless nights. In Soco’s recounting, he said that on 14 April 2011, he booked a Cebu-Manila roundtrip ticket on Flight 5J 574 going to Manila on 15 April 2011, and on Flight 5J 553 on 16 April 2011, at 10:10 a.m. for his return flight to Cebu. The local executive said his ticket for the flight was confirmed. For his return flight, he arrived at NAIA Terminal 3 and got in the queue for departing passengers. He showed his ticket to one of the ground crew to get his seat number, according to the particulars of the 13-page court decision dated 20 June 2023. Soco, however, was informed by the ground crew that he could not be accommodated on the flight and when he asked for an explanation when he got to the head of the line, the Cebu Pacific personnel could not provide a definite response. Passengers behind him were “egging him to step aside” so they could continue with the queue, according to the court ruling. The scene turned chaotic and caused Soco humiliation, “and he was allegedly able to capture it on his cellphone camera,” the court said. Due to the rebooking, Soco missed his board meetings as the owner of Mandaue Integrated Manpower Services Inc., Coffee Dream Company, and Powerline Human Resources Management Inc. A Cebu Pacific Air guest service manager was quoted in the court ruling as having confirmed that Soco was not able to board. The reason given was that “the system of the defendant airline showed full capacity and he could no longer be accommodated on the flight.” “In situations like this, the standard policy of the defendant airline is to look for other passengers who are willing to volunteer their seats in lieu of other passengers with confirmed tickets who could no longer be accommodated. Otherwise, the passenger will be offered an option to either take the subsequent flight or be given a refund,” the court said. Civil Aeronautics Board Economic Regulation 7 recognizes the practice of airline companies of overbooking that does not exceed 10 percent of the aircraft’s seating capacity. While overbooking is a globally accepted practice, senators in a recent public hearing said systematic delays and cancellations are unacceptable, as well as the lack of appropriate mitigation services and crisis management personnel from the airlines who are supposed to handle complaints. What passengers get for their tribulation is more suffering from the complicated rebooking or refund procedure. The height of insensitivity of airlines is making customers talk to chatbots instead of customer service representatives to make their complaints. They can spend for robots but inconvenienced passengers are given chips and bottled water. The post End callous practice appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Phishing attack dislocated GCash
Subscribers of electronic wallet GCash who recently suffered unauthorized cash transfers were victims of “phishing” attacks, according to the National Privacy Commission or NPC. The NPC said after careful examination and independent verification of the incident, they confirmed that there was a security breach that resulted from the utilization of “phishing” attacks, complementing the disclosure of BSP Governor Felipe Medalla that what actually happened was not hacking but phishing. “Upon our thorough investigation, we have determined that the unauthorized transactions in GCash accounts were the result of a meticulous phishing scheme,” NPC commissioner John Henry Naga said. Bogus gambling websites “Unknown threat actors took advantage of vulnerable GCash users, triggering the phishing scheme through online gambling websites such as ‘Philwin’ and ‘tapwin1.com,’” he added. Phishing is an attempt by cybercriminals posing as legitimate institutions, usually via email, to obtain sensitive information from targeted individuals. NPC’s Complaints and Investigation Division conducted an independent investigation on 9 May to ascertain the extent of the alleged unauthorized transactions and determine if there is a possible compromise of personal data and other potential violations of the Data Privacy Act of 2012. Subsequently, on 12 May 2023, the NPC held a clarificatory meeting with G-Xchange Inc., the operator of GCash, providing information gathered from their internal investigation and outlining the measures taken to address the incident. The NPC raised concerns and requested additional information and proof from GXI to enable the conduct of an independent assessment and verify the company’s claims. GXI had submitted its compliance with the orders issued by the NPC. “We have ordered GXI to intensify its education and awareness campaign to its clients to prevent similar incidents in the future,” Naga said. The post Phishing attack dislocated GCash appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
GCash crashes anew amid probe on possible glitch
Virtual wallet provider, GCash, suffered another glitch Saturday morning, even as the National Privacy Commission was making its announcement to conduct an in-depth investigation of the glitch last 10 May 2023 which forced the temporary halt of GCash’s app operations following complaints by GCash users on social media regarding money losses from their accounts. On Saturday rants of irate subscribers filled social media platforms Twitter and Facebook when they weren’t able to open their accounts, airing concerns that funds on their GCash accounts might be compromised. At about 11:39 a.m., GCash on its official Twitter announced that the GCash app was temporarily unavailable, apologizing for the inconvenience to subscribers. “GCash assures you that your account and your funds are safe. We are working on restoring the services as soon as possible,” he said. The app was accessible again after a few minutes of temporary glitches. Deeper probe Also on Saturday, the NPC said it is investigating a potential personal data breach involving compromised accounts of GCash, in light of the temporary halt of GCash app operations last Wednesday. “The NPC’s Complaints and Investigation Division has been closely monitoring this incident since 9 May 2023 amidst circulating reports of GCash users on suspicious transactions on their GCash accounts, to determine the existence of a breach and its extent, and whether there are any other violations of the provisions of the Data Privacy Act of 2012,” said NPC commissioner and chairperson Atty. John Henry D. Naga. He said on Friday that the NPC had issued a notice to explain, and an order addressed to G-Xchange Inc., the company managing GCash, requiring GXI to appear before the NPC for a clarificatory meeting and to provide additional information and documents. During the meeting, Naga said GXI presented information to the NPC about their own investigation and the measures that they have taken to speedily address the incident. Verify claims He said the Privacy Commission will issue another order instructing GXI to provide further information and documents to enable an independent assessment and verify the claims presented by GXI on the supposed phishing being the cause of the glitch. He then assured the public that all necessary steps have been made by the NPC to protect the rights of GCash clients as data subjects. “The NPC is committed to safeguarding the privacy of all individuals and will continue to provide guidance on how the public can better protect themselves from violations of their data privacy rights, even as these threat actors are also becoming more sophisticated in the pursuit of their criminal design,” stated. He further emphasized, “The NPC will diligently exercise its powers under the law against any party found to be in violation of the Data Privacy Act.” The post GCash crashes anew amid probe on possible glitch appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Cashalo assures users of data safety despite breach
Fintech platform Cashalo, a joint venture of Gokongwei-owned JG Summit Holdings via Express Holdings Inc. and Oriente assured clients that their accounts and passwords have not been compromised after a data breach two years ago......»»
Baltimore bridge accident: Freighter pilot called for tugboat help before plowing into bridge
BALTIMORE — The pilot of the cargo freighter had radioed for tugboat help and reported a power loss minutes before the Baltimore bridge accident, federal safety officials said on Wednesday, citing audio from the ship’s “black box” data recorder. The head of the National Transportation Safety Board also said that Francis Scott Key Bridge, a.....»»
Money lending firm collector killed in Zamboanga del Sur ambush
Gunmen killed a collector of a local money lending firm in a daytime ambush in Barangay Lutlutan in Dimataling town, Zamboanga del Sur on Wednesday......»»
Jollibee invests $28 million in beverage tech firm
Filipino-owned Asian food conglomerate Jollibee Foods Corp. is investing $28 million for a 10 percent stake in beverage technology company Botrista Inc. to support the growth of its coffee and tea business......»»
Trending tickers: Trump Media, Tesla, Bitcoin and DS Smith
Former US president Donald Trump’s media firm, Trump Media & Technology Group, had a successful stock market debut in New York, with shares soaring past.....»»
JG Summit FY23 profit: P19.6-B (up 216%)
JG Summit, the Gokongwei Family’s diversified conglomerate, teased its FY23 financial results headlined by a 216% increase in the company’s net income to P19.6 billion......»»
Infants under six months most affected by pertussis — DOH
Latest data from the DOH showed there were 28 new pertussis infections, bringing this year’s total cases to 568. Of the figure, around 63% were infants below six months. .....»»
Russian Spy Chief Makes Bizarre Claim of US, UK, and Ukraine Involvement in Moscow Attack
In a recent development, the director of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has made startling accusations against Ukraine, the US, and the UK, claiming they.....»»
Mga babaeng nakunan pwede bang mag-leave with pay?
SA pagdiriwang ng Buwan ng Mga Kababaihan, nagbigay ng libreng konsultasyong legal ang public service program na “CIA wita BA” at isa na nga rito ay kung maaari bang mag-leave with pay ang mga babaeng nakunan. Maraming napag-usapang batas na may kinalaman sa mga karapatan ng kababaihan. Isa sa mga natalakay sa segment na “Yes.....»»
NTC to telcos: Block Binance
The government has ordered internet service providers to prevent Filipinos from accessing cryptocurrency giant Binance......»»
PLDT puts up new unit for data centers
Telco leader PLDT Inc. has formed a new unit under its technology arm, delegating it with the task of building and operating data centers......»»
DOF: GFIs can seek extended relief after Maharlika infusion
Government financial institutions Land Bank of the Philippines and Development Bank of the Philippines will likely seek an extension of its regulatory relief following contributions to the country’s sovereign wealth fund......»»
The Mystery of Post-Inflation Stability: Exploring Economic Uncertainty
Inflation, a sneaky force eating away at our financial stability, makes us wonder: what happens after its rampage? Do things settle back to normal, or are we stuck dealing with the aftermath? Inflation is simply prices creeping up over time, quietly changing our financial landscape. Think of your favorite café inching up its prices or […].....»»