PLDT and Smart engage the next generation of cybersecurity professionals in the fight against cyber threats and cybercrime.

PLDT and Smart’s Cybersecurity Operations Group (CSOG) trained graduating Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and Information Technology students from Asia Pacific College (APC) on cybersecurity under a six-month internship program called the Cyber Warrior Course (CWC).

Out of the 40 students who passed the interviews conducted by CSOG, 19 of them chose the CWC and were onboarded into the program. Guided by CSOG trainers and subject matter experts, the interns, also called cadets, were immersed in the group’s daily operations — analyzing real-world situations and using scientific and empirical approaches to solve cybersecurity challenges.

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“The world has seen a dramatic increase in cybercriminal activities. Together, let us push back against these nefarious actors who undermine people, organizations, even nations, and help ensure a safer internet for all,” said Francisco Ashley Acedillo, AVP and head of Cyber Security Strategy and Innovation at Smart.

Pillars

The interns were assigned to the different CSOG subgroups called “pillars” to learn their specific functions and how they contribute to the PLDT Group’s overall efforts in defending the companies’ data, networks, systems, and infrastructure and protecting customers against cyber attacks.

“Our students spend two terms on internship,” said Rhea-Luz Valbuena, Executive Director of APC School of Computing and Information Technology. “It has been a working success for us and our partner-institutions. Internship lets students experience the workplace and the importance of why they are choosing this particular careers.”

Developing cybersecurity warriors is part of PLDT and Smart CSOG’s active drive to fortify and ensure the resiliency and sustainability of their cybersecurity systems, which is fundamental to the PLDT group’s much broader program to elevate the quality of customer experience by protecting them from cyberthreats.