What You Can Do to Protect Your Data After the PhilHealth Ransomware Attack
Some precautionary measures.
(SPOT.ph) Some members of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) have had their data compromised after a cyberattack in September, the agency said Monday as it told members what they can do as precaution.
PhilHealth was hit by the Medusa ransomware on September 22, shutting down its website until it resumed online operations a week later on September 29. Its primary database remains "intact and not infected", it said.
It earlier said that alleged leak members' data were reportedly found in the dark web as it reiterated that the government would not pay the ransom of U.S. $300,000 (about P17 million). PhilHealth also said its membership database, which includes contribution and claims, were not affected by the ransomware attack.
Also read: All the Times PhilHealth Came Under Fire for Alleged Fraud
What PhilHealth knows so far about the data leak
The agency has yet to determine how many members were affected in the data leak. It will notify those affected directly, PhilHealth said.
"The number of data subjects or records involved is still undetermined, but we are working relentlessly to gather all relevant information," it said in a statement.
These may be some of the leaked data:
- Name
- Address
- Date of Birth
- Sex
- Phone Number
- PhilHealth Identification Number
Also read: Everything You Need to Know About PhilHealth
How to protect your data, according to PhilHealth
If you are one of those who did not receive any notification that your data has been leaked, PhilHealth announced steps you can take to further protect sensitive information.
- Monitor your credit card reports for any unauthorized activity
- Place a fraud alert on your credit reports
- Change your passwords for all online accounts, especially financial accounts
- Be wary of phishing emails and smishing texts
"We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this incident caused. We are committed to protecting your data by continuously working to enhance our security measures."