MANILA (UPDATED) — A number of educational institutions on Friday, January 24, reported problems with access to their websites that use the edu.ph domain.

Universities such as the University of the Philippines, University of Santo Tomas, Universidad de Manila, and University of the East posted on their social media accounts informing their students and other stakeholders of a technical issue that might affect access to their online services.

Access to the websites of UP and of DLSU was restored over the weekend.

Schools said Friday they are working closely with the Philippine Network Foundation Inc. (PHNet) to solve the issue.

The edu.ph domain, which is used by many school websites, is managed by the registrar PHNet.

In an interview with Teleradyo Serbisyo, Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) spokesperson Renato Paraiso said they are considering two scenarios regarding the technical issues encountered by several school’s websites.

“It’s either the system is down [and] they are upgrading the system…We also entertain worst-case scenarios like baka na-hack or nagkaroon ng ransomware,” Paraiso said in an interview with Teleradyo Serbisyo.

Ransomware is a type of malware that holds data and devices hostage until a ransom is paid, according to IBM.

While DICT cannot compel PHNet to report to the agency because it is a private entity, Paraiso said that they are also interested in knowing the cause and how it will address the issue within their system.

DICT added that schools with advanced systems may implement a backup plan, such as using domains other than edu.ph to continue providing online services.

Educational institutions such as the Philippine Electronics and Communication Institute of Technology have addressed the issue by temporarily migrating to a .online domain.

 Courtesy of Philippine Electronics and Communication Institute of Technology "Kung medyo advance naman ang system nila, they would have a backup system...'Yung edu.ph magkakaroon ng ibang domain name na pwede nating i-access sa kanila," Paraiso said.

The edu.ph domain is only used by legitimate educational institutions and training establishments in the Philippines.

PHNet has yet to respond to ABS-CBN News' inquiry regarding the precise timeframe for resolving the access issue.