PHL nuclear institute's site defaced anew

Hackers defaced anew early Saturday a government website, claiming this was their way of showing “how our government officials run this country." PrivateX, which had defaced several government websites in past months, also set up a Facebook page where it listed its base as Moscow, Russia. “We would only like to show to everyone how our government officials run this country... Corruption is the reason why there are many Filipinos who suffer in extreme conditions and corruption is also the reason why we daface (sic) sites," it said in its message posted on a Pastehtml.com page. Defaced before dawn Saturday was the site of the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI).

Visitors to the site were presented with a popup message that read “#OpSecure." Clicking on the “Ok" button would redirect them to the Pastehtml.com page. “We the PrivateX mean no harm in defacing this site, we just want to show the current situation of our cyber-culture, especially here in our country," the group said in its message. Other government websites defaced by the group included those of the Office of the Vice President since June; the Department of Trade and Industry last Sept. 25; and the old website of the Food and Drug Administration last July. Meanwhile, the group also plugged its Facebook page in the redirected webpage. The Facebook page contained screenshots apparently of sites it had broken into. “Anonymity can produce a startling new personality. We acquired the knowledge to take you down... No ID. No Entry," it said in its description. Tougher penalties vs cybercrime Meanwhile, a recent surge in cyber-attacks alarmed Sen. Edgardo Angara, who urged Congress to fast track the passage of a bill aiming to protect individuals and institutions from cybercrime attacks. He cited cyber-attacks on Japan's Parliament, allegedly from emails linked to a China-based server that have already hit several lawmakers' computers. "To avoid becoming a victim of cybercrime, we must pass a measure that will help the government protect and safeguard the integrity of computers, communications systems, networks databases and the confidentiality and safety of data stored in them from abuse, misuse and illegal access," said Angara, who chairs the Senate Committee on Science and Technology. Angara’s Senate Bill 2796, the Cybercrime Prevention Act, gives authorities legal powers to investigate and prosecute offenders and provide for more international collaboration in prevention, apprehension and prosecution of cyber criminals. He said current laws on cyber-security are not enough to address the threats of common cybercrimes. “For instance, Republic Act 8792 or the E-Commerce Act, only penalizes hacking, cracking and piracy. It does not cover all the forms of cybercrime such as cyber-fraud and similar offenses. This necessitates the passage of a comprehensive bill on cybercrime," he said. Under his bill, computer users will be protected from illegal access, interference of data and systems and misuse of devices such as computer programs and stealing of passwords. It also covers content related offenses specifically cybersex, child pornography and unsolicited commercial communications such as email spamming. Offenders will be imprisoned or fined up to P1 million. Corporate violators, meanwhile, will be made to pay up to P10 million. — LBG, GMA News