The data hackers acquired from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) were circulated on messaging apps and the deep web on Thursday, Oct. 5, according to a group dedicated to informing the public of data leaks.

“The PhilHealth data from the recent ransomware attack from Medusa Blog website is now being shared in some telegram groups and dark web marketplaces,” Deep Web Konek said in a post.

“For our PhilHealth Members, please be vigilant in the next days for an influx/surge of other cybercrimes such as text scams and identity theft. We will keep updating any recent news on this matter,” they added.

Meanwhile, the Computer Professionals’ Union (CPU) released a statement about the recent cyberattack on the state insurer’s website.

“The government does not care about protecting, securing, and keeping private the Filipino people’s sensitive personal information,” their statement read.

“The fact that the PhilHealth and the DICT initially downplayed the severity of the Medusa ransomware breach on its systems, especially its impacts to the people, speaks volumes about how the government treats people’s personally identifiable information,” it further read.

CPU claimed that the PhilHealth data breach was an addition to the list of “government’s ineptitude” in handling the citizens’ personal information, citing the data leak on the Commission on Elections’s (Comelec) online systems during the 2016 elections.

“We reiterate that any breach of data should be investigated promptly and seriously. PhilHealth must be held accountable as a corporation for its negligence in training its employees on proper data handling and cybersecurity practices,” CPU said.

PhilHealth spokesperson Dr. Israel Francis Pargas earlier confirmed in a DZRH interview that their employees’ data were leaked following the cyberattack on its online systems on September 22.