Manila, Sept. 18 -- The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has ordered all government agencies to undergo annual cybersecurity testing to strengthen defenses against cyberthreats and reduce the risk of disruptions to public services.

Department Circular No. HRA-008, s. 2026, mandates the conduct of Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) at least once every year, and whenever major system changes or cybersecurity incidents occur, according to a news release Thursday.

Covered by the directive are national government agencies, government-owned and controlled corporations and their subsidiaries, state universities and colleges, local government units of host cities, and other government instrumen...