DICT probing into reported hacking of House website

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is investigating the reported hacking of the House of Representatives website, which was reportedly defaced.

"The DICT is coordinating with the House of Representatives and relevant law enforcement agencies to investigate the incident, support the restoration of affected systems and services, and strengthen security measures to prevent similar incidents in the future," DICT said in a statement Sunday.

Upon notification, DICT said it coordinated with the House and activated its incident response procedures, which focus on containing the incident, restoring affected services, and determining the nature and extent of the unauthorized access.

The website of the House of Representatives is operational on Sunday following reports of being defaced the previous day.

The website was allegedly defaced by a collective of hackers who claimed responsibility for the security breach.

The group accused the government of stealing public funds and opportunities, justice, and trust of Filipinos.

Defacement is a form of cyberattack wherein hacktivists change the appearance or content of a website, according to the Canadian Centre for Cybersecurity.

DICT said the initial assessment showed that no confidential or sensitive government information has been compromised.

"The affected pages primarily contain publicly available information. This assessment remains preliminary and is subject to the findings of the ongoing technical investigation," DICT said.

It added that those found to engage in website defacement may face charges under the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

Earlier this week, the Senate of the Philippines confirmed that its website was defaced, even as a group of supposed hackers claimed responsibility for the act.

According to the Senate, an initial assessment indicated there is no confidential or sensitive information that has been compromised by the attack.

On Facebook, a group called Nullsec Philippines on Thursday claimed responsibility for the defacement and warned that it was "watching" the Senate.

"The Filipino people entrusted you with power, responsibility, and the duty to serve the nation-not personal interests, political dynasties, or corrupt networks," the group said.

As of Thursday mid-morning, visitors to the Senate website were greeted with a message that the portal is under maintenance, and that they can check back again later.

The Senate website is also operational on Sunday.

The House Prosecution Panel has asked the Senate and several government agencies to ensure the safety and security of the pieces of evidence it submitted to the Senate for the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

The call was made on Thursday when a group admitted to hacking the Senate website, and days after the National Bureau of Investigation revealed a security threat against the Senate building and its premises. —RF, GMA News