Senate of the Philippines website defaced by “hacktivists”
The website of the Senate of the Philippines was defaced by a group of hackers early Wednesday (10 June) morning.
Photos circulating on social media show that the hackers, who identified themselves as “Nullsec Philippines”, left a “Message to the Senate”, saying they are “watching”.
They accused politicians of using their power for their personal interests instead of serving the nation.
The hacking follows several recent incidents of Philippines senators making the news.
Hackers demand transparency and accountability
In their message, the hackers said:
Every peso lost to corruption is a meal taken from a family, a classroom left unfinished, and a future denied.
They further warned politicians that being in public office “is not a shield from scrutiny”.
Source: Philippine Star on Facebook
The hackers said the digital generation “sees, records, investigates, and remembers” information.
“To those who serve with integrity, continue your work. To those who abuse the public’s trust, know that citizens are paying attention,” they cautioned.
“We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect Us.”
Cybersecurity monitoring Facebook page ‘Deep Web Konek’ notes that the incident was unlikely to be financially motivated.
“The message appeared to frame the incident as a form of hacktivism,” they wrote.
Senate website faces second defacement
The Philippines Senate website was hit by a second defacement incident later that morning at 9.32am.
This time, several posts were found in the website’s ‘News Release’ section.
It included articles titled “Angelica ;pp”, and “Ashley & Angelica”, containing messages unrelated to official government business.
Source: Deep Web Konek on Facebook
The second defacement is allegedly by a SentinelX, which published a statement on a Facebook page criticising the Senate’s poor cybersecurity.
The page has since been removed.
After undergoing maintenance, the Senate website has since been restored.
Source: Philippine Star on Facebook
Philippines senators in the spotlight
The hacking follows recent high-profile incidents involving Philippines senators.
On 11 May, Senator Ronald dela Rosa ran through the Senate building in Pasay City to evade his arrest by the International Criminal Court for his involvement in former President Rodrigo Duterte’s “war on drugs”.
A couple of days later, gunshots were reportedly fired from the building, where the wanted senator was holed up.
Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, who was voted as Senate President on 11 May, was also removed from his post on 3 June.
Authorities investigating incident
In a statement, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said an initial assessment revealed that the incident was limited to the website’s public-facing pages.
“There is, at this time, no indication that sensitive or confidential data was compromised,” it said.
The DICT, Senate, and relevant law enforcement agencies are working to determine the root cause of the incident.
They are also attempting to identify the threat actors responsible.
The perpetrators will then be penalised in accordance with Republic Act No. 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
Meanwhile, the Senate released a statement saying, “Additional security measures are also being implemented to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future”.
It also said the website primarily contains documents and informational materials for public access.
Also read: Gunshots heard in Philippine Senate where wanted senator had been holed up, govt forces deny firing
Gunshots heard in Philippine Senate where wanted senator had been holed up, govt forces deny firing
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Featured image adapted from Philippine Star on Facebook, Deep Web Konek on Facebook.
