Tag Archive for: struggling

Philippines state health org struggling to recover from ransomware attack


The government organization that manages the universal healthcare system of the Philippines has struggled to recover from a ransomware incident that forced it to take several websites and portals offline.

On Friday morning, officials from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) said they discovered an information security incident and immediately began an investigation into the situation with the help of several other government agencies. The government-owned entity provides a national health insurance program for the country’s 114 million citizens.

“While investigation is being undertaken, affected systems shall be temporarily shut down to secure our application systems. We appeal for the public’s understanding regarding the matter,” the organization said.

In an update on Monday, PhilHealth President and CEO Emmanuel Ledesma said access to Health Care Institution (HCI) member portals and e-claims “were disabled or unplugged immediately as part of the information security containment measures being implemented by PhilHealth.”

“Affected systems shall be restored at the soonest possible time after the completion of the needed configuration and reinforcement of existing information security measures. We are working to restore these systems on Monday, September 25, 2023,” the organization explained.

“PhilHealth’s Management assures the public that the incident is under control and that no personal information and medical information has been compromised or leaked.”

They added that healthcare facilities are still able to provide benefits to those who come and that PhilHealth is “doing its best to enable the affected systems to work on Monday, Sept 25, 2023.”

The Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) and several law enforcement agencies are conducting a forensic investigation into the situation.

While systems are down, members and dependents have to provide a photocopy of the member’s PhilHealth Identification Card (PIC) or Member Data Record (MDR) or any identified acceptable supporting documents.

Payments for services have to be made over the counter and cannot be done online. Healthcare facilities will “continue…

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Army struggling to hire cyber staff as attacks on Britain ramp up


The Army is struggling to hire cyber security experts amid intense competition from business, its recruitment chief has admitted.

Richard Holroyd, managing director of Defence and Security at Capita, which handles recruitment for the Armed Forces, said it was having difficulty attracting candidates given the wealth of jobs on offer.

He told the Telegraph: “You’re saying to people with an interest in it, come and be a cyber specialist in the armed forces, but Raytheon is saying come and be a cyber specialist, BT are saying come and be a cyber specialist. So in those spaces, you’re competing.

“In a labour market with full employment it’s a tough, tough play.”

Mr Holroyd said Capita was on track to only meet 80pc of its Army recruitment target this year, in part because of difficulties filling technical roles.

He said: “Anything related to STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] is a highly competitive environment. So STEM skills are tough.”

Capita’s exact target wasn’t given and the Ministry of Defence declined to comment on it.

The admission comes despite the increasing importance of cyber for both offensive and defensive capabilities.

The Minister of Defence said last month there was an “urgent requirement to continue to modernise the force to keep pace with technological developments”.

Boosting the digital skills is a “matter of priority” over the next three years, officials wrote in the Defence Command paper.

Mr Holroyd said cyber security experts have “much more choice” than in previous years and admitted that private sector companies have proven faster at recruiting, sometimes making offers within a few weeks.

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These are the 6 most in-demand tech jobs that companies in South Africa are struggling to recruit for


With IT job vacancies continuing to climb as companies struggle to recruit and obtain critical skills in South Africa, there is an opportunity to upskill or reskill individuals to meet this demand.

Prudence Mabitsela, founder and managing director of Dynamic DNA, a training and skills development company empowering Africa’s ICT generation, believes these skills are needed to build the economy of South Africa and to close the digital skills and gender divide in the country.

As the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) kicks into gear and more companies speed up their digitisation strategies due to the global pandemic, now is the time to add these scarce skills to your resume to ensure employability and career advancement in the sector.

“There are many opportunities in a variety of industries not just the IT sector,” said Mabitsela. “Jobs span across banking and financial services, retail, Fintech, government, legal, logistics and many more. It is imperative that both learnerships and upskilling or reskilling of existing employees are prioritised so that we can close the digital divide.”

One way that Mabitsela believes individuals can take advantage of this skills demand is to take specialised, certified courses which can range from one year to a few months in duration for one qualification and depending on the course, and with the advancement of technology many of these can be done online.

“It is important to ensure that these courses are aligned with the MICT SETA qualifications framework and provided by an accredited training provider,” she advises. “This ensures that you receive quality education given by qualified lecturers with a certificate that is internationally recognised.”

Here are the top 6 most in-demand IT jobs in the country and the skills you need to get ahead:


1. Software developer

Developer salaries vary greatly and can be viewed here.

  • GP R48,442 to R65,604 p.m.
  • WC R45,012 to R56,685
  • KZN R42,755 to R55,882

There are key skills required in software development today that are worth investing in to ensure that your career stays on track,” said Mabitsela.

“Cloud computing is one that everyone should add to their CV in 2021 as more companies move…

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Apple is struggling to stop a ‘skeleton key’ hack on home Wi-Fi

“Such an issue has been uncovered by Don A. Bailey, founder of Lab Mouse Security, who described to Forbes a hack that, whilst not catastrophic, exploits iOS devices’ trust in Internet of Things devices like connected toasters and TVs. And, as he …
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