PhilHealth appeals to public to refrain from sharing leaked data

MANILA - The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) on Sunday called on the public to refrain from further circulating illegally obtained data from its system as a result of the September 22 ransomware attack.

In a statement, PhilHealth said the hackers have reportedly started circulating the data, and asked members to change passwords and monitor their online accounts.

"Using the stolen data, the hackers will likely target members through calls, emails or text messages. Let us then heed the advice of authorities to refrain from clicking doubtful links or providing passwords or OTPs. It is best to ignore suspicious calls, and to delete text or emails instead from unknown and suspicious senders," PhilHealth Chief Emmanuel R. Ledesma, Jr. said.

PhilHealth also appealed to the public to refrain from further circulating leaked data, as it has dire consequences under the law.

Authorities said hackers may face up to 20 years of imprisonment, while those who downloaded, processed or shared such data will likewise be held accountable.

According to PhilHealth, it is ready to face any inquiry regarding the incident. It also vowed to cooperate with investigating agencies.

"Bilang responsable sa mga impormasyon ng ating mga miyembro, nakahanda po kaming makipagtulungan sa mga imbestigasyon para lalong mapagbuti ang cybersecurity system. Makakaasa po ang publiko na may malaking kabutihang dulot ang pangyayaring ito para maging mas mabuti ang ating serbisyo sa miyembro," Ledesma said.

As of October 6, PhilHealth said 100 of its public-facing applications were back online.

• PhilHealth members urged to update online credentials amid data breach
• NPC promises accountability, prosecution over PhilHealth data breach

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