House forms anti-hacking panel after online attack

The House of Representatives has formed a Cybersecurity Committee as part of its anti-hacking measure after last month’s attack on its website.

House Secretary General Reginald Velasco said the panel was formed by Speaker Martin Romualdez when he updated reporters Wednesday on the joint probe of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on the cyberattack on the House website (congress.gov.ph) on October 15.

The House website was restored after three days.

“They are saying it is just an internal matter, but there is no conclusion there yet. The investigation is not yet done, but what we have done is we have created a Cybersecurity Committee which I will personally chair, with my assistant, to probe this,” Velasco said.

The body can help build a “self defense unit” that will prepare for future attacks according to the House official.

“[The new committee] will review all our protocols, our internet activities so we can have a comprehensive solution to protect the integrity of our system,” Velasco said.

“This is not just about the website. We are talking about internal personal data of the employees, the lawmakers, which should not be accessed by just anybody, especially hackers,” Velasco added.

Velasco also reiterated that the House is still considering hiring a third-party firm to help it fortify its cybersecurity protocols.

“We don't want the problem to get serious,” Velasco said.—RF, GMA Integrated News