Hacker arrested for defacement  of Comelec website 

One of the hackers involved in the recent defacement and supposed leak of data from the Commission on Elections' official website has been arrested.

The identity of the suspect, 23, now under the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation, has yet to be released.

The suspect was arrested by virtue of a search warrant on Wednesday night in the area of Sampaloc, Manila, the NBI Cybercrime Division said.

Comelec chief Andres Bautista and NBI authorities met the suspect on Thursday morning and Bautista said the hacker admitted to defacing the Comelec website.

Authorities said the hacker is a recent graduate of information technology but they refused to reveal which school he is from.

Ronald Aguto, chief of the NBI Cybercrime Division, said it took them about three weeks before this arrest.

He added that they are still looking for two other hackers who are part of the group responsible for the hacking.

While the defacement was claimed by Anonymous Philippines, the NBI Cybercrime Division said the specific affiliation of the hacker is part of an ongoing investigation.

The probe is focused on the data supposedly stolen from Comelec and leaked online.

Aguto said they are also looking into the extent of information that the arrested hacker obtained. At the moment, he could not say whether the data they discovered indeed came from the poll body.

"Nakuha natin 'yung computer na ginamit niya so ongoing 'yung ating forensic investigation. Lalabas doon kung may nakuha siya doon," he said, adding that it may take 24 to 48 hours to finish this.

"We cannot ascertain unless we're done with a full forensic of the computer... As far as NBI is concerned, we cannot say if it's Comelec data," he said.

He added: "Hopefully, kapag binuksan 'yung computer niya, mas may makita tayong information na makakatulong sa imbestigation... There is an effort to retrieve whatever is out there. It's still too early to say kung gaano kalaki 'yung nakuha nila." — VVP/RSJ, GMA News