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DND beefs up cyber security capabilities with 2-day drills

Philippine News Agency

By Priam Nepomuceno
December 4, 2025, 4:16 pm

MANILA -- Select Department of National Defense (DND) personnel underwent "cyber exercises" earlier this week to beef up the agency's cybersecurity readiness against looming threats from cyberspace.

In a news release on Thursday, the DND said participants in CYBEX 2025 engaged in "rigorous cyber simulations" throughout the two-day event held on Tuesday and Wednesday.

During the event, the participants were faced with realistic attack scenarios, pressure-driven decision points, and challenges designed to expose vulnerabilities - "situations aimed to mirror the threats confronting defense organizations worldwide," the DND said.

Among the threats the DND mentioned were ransomware incidents, targeted intrusions, disruption attempts, and the exploitation of human and technical weaknesses.

"This gathering reflects our collective recognition that cybersecurity is now a core component of national defense," lawyer Odessa Rossilyz Magisa, head executive assistant to DND Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and officer-in-charge of the Office for DND Information Security, said.

She added that threat actors are becoming "more aggressive, sophisticated and persistent," noting that these groups are not only targeting government cyber systems but also the trust and stability that hold institutions together.

"Cyber resilience is not achieved by technology alone," she said. "It demands unified action, disciplined processes, and seamless coordination across all elements of the defense establishment. No single office, service, or unit can stand alone in the face of modern cyber threats. Collaboration is no longer an option; it is a requirement for survival in the digital battlespace."

CYBEX 2025 participants came from the DND's various cyber offices and units and those of its bureaus and attached agencies.

The event also saw the presence of observers from the Canadian Armed Forces, "reflecting the growing international interest in the Philippines' cyber defense initiatives," the DND said. (PNA)