DICT records 1.4M hacking attempts; 19 govt sites defaced

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) recorded approximately 1.4 million hacking attempts against government websites over the weekend.

Nineteen government websites were defaced, including those managed by the DICT, Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev), Bureau of Customs, Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA), and 15 local government units.

The Anti-Red Tape Authority's (ARTA) Policy Reform, Innovation, and Streamlining Management (PRISM) online learning platform was among those defaced, displaying a graphic of the Philippine flag with a Guy Fawkes mask.

ARTA acknowledged the public's call for transparency but stated that hacking is an unlawful method to address issues, directing citizens to use established platforms like 'Sumbong sa Pangulo' for reporting concerns.

No sensitive or confidential information from ARTA's PRISM portal or other systems was compromised, and no verified report of data exfiltration exists.

The DICT is investigating a possible link to a group called 'AnonymousPH', though the group has denied involvement, and is also pursuing a 'person of interest'.

The DICT clarified that the eGov PH App itself was not hacked, but a separately managed third-party system, the eComplaints system, integrated with it was involved.