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DICT: 19 gov’t websites defaced during September 21 protest but quickly restored
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IN PHOTO: DICT Secretary Henry Aguda during palace press briefing.(RTVM)
By San Matildo
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) confirmed on Monday, September 22, that 19 government websites experienced defacement attempts during the nationwide protest held on September 21.
DICT Secretary Henry Aguda during the palace press briefing said the incidents were swiftly contained, with no major systems compromised.
“The rallies remained peaceful, and there was no ground-to-online convergence. However, we recorded 19 government websites that experienced defacement. This means the websites were taken over and altered. But government agencies were able to react quickly,” Aguda explained.
He placed the number in context, stressing that the 19 affected websites were minimal compared to the nearly 60,000 apps and websites across the country.
Aguda explained that of the 19 websites defaced, most belonged to local government units (LGUs), while four were from national government agencies.
He clarified that the compromised portions were minor—such as training modules and complaint platforms—and all were immediately restored.
“Out of the 19 affected websites, four belonged to national government agencies, while the rest were from local government units (LGUs). Among the four, one was PreSim, an educational platform of ARTA, which has already been fixed,” Aguda said.
“Another was from the Bureau of Customs (BOC), but the disruption was very brief and hardly noticeable. There was also one incident involving DICT, but it was quickly resolved as well. The fourth was from DepDev, which was only informational in nature, and the attackers merely placed their logo on the site. Again, the impact was minimal and barely felt,” he added.
Aguda assured that there were no successful cyber breaches launched from overseas or so-called nation-state actors, and that all critical government systems remain secure.
While some incidents of street violence were reported during the protest—including the burning of a vehicle and the throwing of rocks and Molotov cocktails—the government maintained control of the situation with the help of the police and partner agencies.
Aguda also emphasized the success of the country’s offline Cyber Dome initiative and the strong cooperation between the DICT, law enforcement, telecommunications companies, social media platforms, the cybersecurity community, and the private sector.
“We have shown that we can respect freedom of expression while at the same time safeguarding peace to ensure everyone’s safety,” he said.
Aguda clarified that there were no successful breaches over the weekend, only numerous attempts to penetrate government systems.
He noted that millions of attempts were recorded, but only four managed to slip through, all of which were promptly addressed. He credited the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), the DICT, the National Computer Emergency Response Team (NCERT), and law enforcement agencies for their proactive efforts, which began as early as last week, to secure the networks.
Furthermore, Aguda also confirmed that disinformation campaigns tied to the rallies in Recto and Mendiola were traced to “Anonymous PH,” describing it as a collective of hacktivists rather than a single individual.
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