DICT, Senate say no sensitive data compromised in website defacement incident

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Senate of the Philippines on Thursday, June 11, assured the public that there is no indication that sensitive or confidential information was compromised following the reported defacement of the Senate’s official website.

In separate statements, both agencies said initial assessments showed the incident was limited to the website and that investigations and restoration efforts are ongoing.

The DICT said it became aware of the reported defacement early Thursday morning and immediately deployed its National Computer Emergency Response Team (NCERT) to coordinate with the Senate’s Electronic Data Processing-Management Information System (EDP-MIS) Service.

“As a precautionary measure, the affected website has been placed under maintenance while security validation and restoration efforts are underway,” the DICT said.

The agency added that its initial assessment indicates 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, noting that a thorough technical investigation is still ongoing and that findings will be validated before any conclusions are drawn.

The Senate also confirmed that its website had been subjected to an unauthorized modification, commonly referred to as a website defacement.

It said its technical team immediately initiated security protocols, contained the issue, and launched a comprehensive investigation to determine the cause and extent of the unauthorized activity.

“Based on our initial assessment, there is no indication that any confidential or sensitive information has been compromised,” the Senate EDP-MIS said, adding that the website primarily contains publicly available documents and informational materials intended for public access.

The DICT said it is working with the Senate, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), and relevant law enforcement agencies to conduct forensic analysis, determine the root cause of the incident, and identify the threat actors responsible. It added that appropriate legal action will be pursued under Republic Act No. 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

Meanwhile, the Senate said additional security measures are being implemented to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.

The DICT and the Senate both assured the public that restoring affected services and safeguarding government digital infrastructure remain among its highest priorities, while the Senate reiterated that protecting the integrity and availability of its systems remains a top priority.

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