Solons want probe into reported hacking of Comelec data

Bayan Muna party-list Representatives Carlos Isagani Zarate, Ferdinand Gaite and Eufemia Cullamat are seeking investigation into the alleged hacking of Commission on Elections (Comelec) data.

In filing House Resolution 2434, the progressive lawmakers are urging the House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms to investigate, in aid of legislation, the alleged breach of the system of the poll body.

"The new reported incident of data breach of Comelec servers, if proven to be true, is a serious matter, especially with the upcoming May 2022 elections. This cannot just be dismissed outright by placing the onus of proving that it actually happened, or, did not happen at all, to the one reporting it," part of the resolution reads.   

"The credibility of the coming elections will be put into question if this issue is not swiftly, independently and efficiently probed and addressed," it adds.

Zarate, for his part, said the incident seems to be a "deja vu of the 2016 Comeleaks hacking."

"Is this a repeat of that incident or this designed to destroy the credibility of Comelec for a no election scenario?" he asked.

"Just like the Omicron COVID-19 variant, this is no simple matter to be dismissed easily. There are many questions that need to be answered as well as the technical aspect of the supposed hacking and the extent of the data that the hackers were able to compromise," Zarate said.

The 2016 hacking incident -- dubbed "Comeleaks" -- was perpetrated by a group of hackers, who gained access to the Comelec website and defaced the agency's page on March 27, 2016.

A second group was able to "steal" the agency's voter database, which happened to be accessible from the site.

The database was then made public, exposing the personal information of millions of Filipino voters to identity thieves and other hackers.

A Manila Bulletin report said that upon its verification, Comelec data -- network diagrams, IP addresses, list of all privileged users, domain admin credentials, among others -- were hacked.

The poll body has said it is already validating the reported hacking of its data and has asked the authors of the report to shed light on their findings. —LBG, GMA News