PLDT and Smart cybersecurity bootcamp for teachers help fortify digital learning platforms

PHOTO: CyberSmart is the PLDT Group’s premier cyber safety awareness campaign that equips online users with information and practical tips on protecting one’s self on- and offline.

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In celebration of the International Literacy Day, PLDT and Smart have enlisted teachers in fortifying digital learning platforms and turning them into safe spaces through CyberSmart. CyberSmart is the PLDT Group’s premier cyber safety awareness campaign that equips online users with information and practical tips on protecting one’s self on- and offline. 

“At PLDT and Smart, cybersecurity is everybody’s job. We hope that through CyberSmart—you embrace a culture of cybersecurity. Together, we can make the internet safer for all,” said Cathy Yang, FVP and Group Head of Corporate Communications at PLDT and Smart.  

With phishing attacks on the rise, the CyberSmart bootcamp focused on helping teachers identify social engineering tactics. 

Elijah Mendoza, Senior Manager for Digital Communications at Smart, cautioned against opening suspicious emails and links. He also reminded teachers to avoid replying to strangers and to refrain from providing personal information as well as one-time passwords or OTPs to unknown callers. “Remember, banks never ask for OTPs,” he said. 

Khristian Pagurayan, Awareness, Training, and User Adoption Supervisor of PLDT and Smart’s Cyber Security Operations Group, helped teachers spot text scams. He said that the sender is usually unknown. The message contains too-good-to-be-true offers or promises a large amount of money. Victims are urged to immediately act on the offer by clicking a link that leads to a phishing domain.  

Yves Gonzalez, Head of Government Affairs and Public Policy at Google Philippines, said that hackers employ visual confusion to steal user data. They copy the login page of a legitimate website on a malicious domain to lure users into thinking that they’re logging in to a secure domain.  

Dr. Melinda dela Pena Bandalaria, Chancellor of UP Open University, reminded participants to use social media responsibly. Because of social media’s wide reach, she stressed the importance of verifying information before sharing them.  

For over 20 years, the PLDT Group has supported the Department of Education in improving the country’s literacy through innovative and technology-enabled programs, and PLDT and Smart count this support as among their most important advocacies. Meanwhile, the efforts of PLDT and Smart to share CyberSmart tips are fundamental to the PLDT Group’s much broader program to elevate the quality of customer experience by protecting them from threats and cyber-attacks. 

Together, these PLDT and Smart initiatives support the government’s Go Digital Pilipinas Movement and the Digital Infrastructure pillar of the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC), which seek to elevate lives of Filipinos through digital services.