The Philippines has made a leap in the 2024 United Nations Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI), moving up to 53rd from 61st in 2020.
The report, released on Sept. 12, 2024, showed the Philippine cybersecurity score rose to 93.49 points from 77 points in 2020. This puts the Philippines just 1.51 points away from joining Tier 1, which includes the world’s best in cybersecurity laws, technology, organizations, training, and international cooperation.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said the country’s jump from Tier 3 (Evolving) to Tier 2 (Advancing) highlights the country’s improvements in key areas like providing technical skills, collaborating with other countries, organizing cybersecurity efforts, and building capacity to fight cyber threats.
DICT secretary Ivan John E. Uy said: “This is a huge achievement for the Philippines. It shows that our hard work to protect Filipinos online is bearing fruit, but we are not stopping here. We are on the brink of being a global leader in cybersecurity and we will continue working to safeguard our digital world.”
The agency said much of the progress can be attributed to the government’s focus on strengthening cybersecurity through the National Cybersecurity Plan (NCSP) 2023-2028.
In April 2024, Pres. Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed Executive Order No. 58 mandating all government agencies to adopt the NCSP 2023-2028, ensuring that the country is better protected against cyberattacks and online threats.
Overall, the report showed that countries around the globe are improving cybersecurity efforts, but stronger actions are needed to meet evolving cyberthreats.
On average, countries have taken more cybersecurity-related actions and improved their cybersecurity commitments since the last index was released in 2021.
Worrisome threats highlighted in the report include ransomware attacks targeting government services and other sectors, cyber breaches affecting core industries, costly system outages, and breaches of privacy for individuals and organizations.
“Building trust in the digital world is paramount,” said Doreen Bogdan-Martin, secretary-general of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the UN agency which released the report.
“The progress seen in the Global Cybersecurity Index is a sign that we must continue to focus efforts to ensure that everyone, everywhere can safely and securely manage cyberthreats in today’s increasingly complex digital landscape.”
ITU’s Global Cybersecurity Index 2024 (GCI 2024) assesses national efforts across five pillars, representing country-level cybersecurity commitments: legal, technical, organizational, capacity development, and cooperation.
GCI 2024 also uses a new five-tier analysis, a shift that allows a greater focus on each country’s advances with cybersecurity commitments and resulting impacts.
The report places 46 countries in Tier 1, the highest of the five tiers, reserved for “role modelling” countries that demonstrate a strong commitment in all five cybersecurity pillars.
Most countries are either “establishing” (Tier 3) or “evolving” (Tier 4) in terms of cybersecurity. The 105 countries in these tiers have largely expanded digital services and connectivity but still need to integrate cybersecurity measures.
A “cybercapacity gap” – characterized by limitations in skills, staffing, equipment and funding – was evident in many countries and across all regional groups.
“The Global Cybersecurity Index 2024 shows significant improvements by countries that are implementing essential legal measures, plans, capacity building initiatives, and cooperation frameworks especially in strengthening incident response capabilities,” said Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau.
According to GCI 2024, the Africa region has advanced the most on cybersecurity since 2021. All world regions show improvement since the last report.
The world’s least developed countries (LDCs) have also started making gains, though they still need support to advance further and faster.
The GCI data showed that the average LDC has now reached the same level of cybersecurity status that many of the non-LDC developing countries had in 2021.
Land-locked developing countries (LLDCs) and small island developing states (SIDS) continue to face resource and capacity constraints on cybersecurity efforts.
Other key findings of the GCI:
- Legal measures are the strongest cybersecurity pillar for most countries: 177 countries have at least one regulation on either personal data protection, privacy protection, or breach notification in force or in progress.
- Computer Incident Response Teams (CIRTs) are crucial for national cybersecurity: 139 countries have active CIRTs, with various levels of sophistication, up from 109 in the 2021 index.
- National Cybersecurity Strategies (NCS) are becoming more prevalent: 132 countries have a National Cybersecurity Strategy as of 2024, up from 107 in the 2021 index.
- Cyber awareness campaigns are widespread: 152 countries have conducted cyber awareness initiatives targeting the general population, with some also targeting specific demographics such as vulnerable and underrepresented populations, to create a culture of cybersecurity and address potential risks.
- Incentives for the cybersecurity industry continue evolving: Governments are promoting the cybersecurity industry through incentives, grants, and scholarships, aiming to enhance cybersecurity skills and foster research in the field, with 127 countries reporting some form of cybersecurity-related research and development.
- Many countries cooperate on cybersecurity through existing treaties: 92% of countries (166) reported being part of an international treaty or comparable cooperation mechanism for cybersecurity capacity development, or information sharing, or both. Putting cybersecurity agreements and frameworks into practical operation remains challenging.
- Capacity development and technical pillars are relatively weak in most countries. 123 countries reported having trainings for cybersecurity professionals, up from 105 in 2021. In addition, 110 countries had frameworks to implement nationally or internationally recognized cybersecurity standards, up from 103 in 2021.
- Capacity development initiatives need to be reinforced: 153 countries have integrated cybersecurity into national curricula at some level, but cybersecurity trainings and awareness-raising varies widely across regions. Developing a strong domestic cybersecurity industry is essential to sustain progress.
- Countries need to focus on protecting children online: 164 countries have legal measures in place for child online protection; only 94 countries reported associated strategies and initiatives, indicating a gap in implementation.
