Converge Reduces Access Attempts to Blocked Sites in 2024; Suspicious Network Activity is Likely Driven by AI

​Converge ICT Solutions Inc. battened down the hatches and stepped up its security efforts in 2024, stopping a staggering 183 billion attempts on its network to access illegal websites, according to its Chief Information Security Officer (CISO).

CISO Andrew T. Malijan compared the Converge network to a digital castle, claiming that its battlements were upgraded in 2024 when it stopped a record 183 billion entry attempts to 683,000 URLs or domains recorded in its system as illegal sites.

“Acting on reports and submissions of government agencies as well as private entities, last year, we added 150,000 URLs or domains into our system that we tagged as illicit or unlawful. Traffic to these newly-enrolled URLs must have been quite heavy as we managed to block almost 20 times as much attempts in 2024, as we did in the years 2021-2023, which was just 10-12 billion attempts,” explained Malijan.

To put the figures into context, the 150,000 URLs or domains that link to illegal sites were classed as Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM) or Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children (OSAEC), phishing/banking, online gambling, and voyeurism.

CSAM/OSAEC accounted for about 98% of the total. This was followed by online gambling.

The rapid rise in entry attempts into illegal sites might be driven by the very factor that ICT companies are scrambling to incorporate into their systems: artificial intelligence.

“These attempts on our customer network are most likely hinged on AI — hackers and malicious agents are no longer doing this manually or through human intervention. On our end, we can just keep banning, but we now have to think about how to use this same technology to identify malicious sites. So it’ll be down to AI vs. AI. That’s what we’re doing, internally, to protect our network in Converge” noted Converge Chief Executive Adviser and tech expert Eugene Yeo.

Yeo also underlined that ISPs can only do so much, especially with the capability of AI-powered tools. Educating individuals on how to protect themselves online is the first line of defense.

“The way we have to approach it has to be different, the 183 billion attempts can easily go up to 200 or more billion. Education is ultimately the best defense,” Yeo added.

Converge has been active in its campaign against OSAEC and other cyber threats to help make the internet a safer place for its customers and end users, forming a partnership in 2022 with the Stairway Foundation, a Philippine non-governmental organization that promotes children's rights through awareness, community assistance, and networking.

“Blocking access to websites hosting CSAEM is a crucial part of a multi-stakeholder approach to combat OSAEC. By preventing users from accessing these harmful sites, ISPs like Converge help disrupt the distribution of such materials and limit the revictimization for victims. This action also sends a strong message to the broader community — that CSAEM is unacceptable and reinforces the concept that actors in the digital system also have their own accountability,” noted Ysrael Diloy, Child Protection Specialist at Stairway Foundation.

According to Malijan, Converge maintains continual communication with law enforcement authorities such as the Philippine National Police (PNP) and international groups such as the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) in order to effectively 'crowdsource' its database of illicit information. Converge, for example, can use its connection with IWF to access the latter's vast URL list of OSAEC content and ban it from its network.

Even if cybersecurity measures were exceptionally strong in 2024, Senior Vice President & Corporate Compliance and Data Protection Officer Atty. Laurice Esteban-Tuason emphasized Converge's human rights policy, which prioritizes children's privacy and protection in the digital domain. Furthermore, this demonstrates the company's dedication to a safer internet.

“As part of our commitment to sustainability, we recognize that cybersecurity is integral to protecting our customers, our operations, and the broader digital ecosystem. By proactively blocking malicious websites and high-risk domains, we not only safeguard sensitive data but also reduce the environmental impact of cyberthreats, such as ransomware and phishing attacks, which can disrupt critical infrastructure. A secure digital environment is a sustainable one, and we remain steadfast in our efforts to create a safer online space for all,” said Esteban-Tuason.

In 2023, Converge adopted a company policy on child protection and security measures to prohibit unlawful content on its network.