Manila: The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) announced that 19 government websites were hacked and defaced amid protest actions against corruption on September 21. However, the department confirmed that there was “no evidence of a data breach” in the incident.

According to Philippines News Agency, DICT Secretary Henry Aguda revealed in a Palace press briefing that the affected websites included four from national government agencies (NGAs) and the rest from local government units (LGUs). The NGAs involved were the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA), Bureau of Customs (BOC), DICT itself, and the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev).

Aguda stated that the compromised elements were primarily training modules and complaint platforms, which have since been rectified. He emphasized that the impact on the four NGAs was “inconsequential.”

The DICT assured the public in a statement that the core infrastructure of the eGov PH App was not compromised. The breach involved the EComplaints system, a third-party system integrated with the eGov PH, which is managed separately. The department confirmed that no data breach occurred within the eGov PH App, and all personal information remains secure under stringent cybersecurity measures.

In addition to defacement, the websites faced distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks and over 1.4 million failed breach attempts. DICT praised the efforts of the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), the Cybersecurity Bureau, and the National Computer Emergency Response Team (NCERT) for their role in preventing further breaches.

The cyber hacktivist group AnonymousPH is suspected of involvement in the attacks. Aguda noted that although communications with the group have been made, they have denied responsibility. A person of interest is being investigated in collaboration with law enforcement agencies, though specific details about the suspect’s identity have not been disclosed as the investigation is ongoing.