NBI finds good leads on hacking of Comelec website

The National Bureau of Investigation has leads on the hacking of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) website last month, an official said yesterday.

In a press briefing at the Comelec, NBI Cybercrime Division chief Ronald Aguto Jr. said they were able to trace the IP (Internet protocol) address used by the hackers.

“NBI agents are working on the case. I could say we have good leads. We are hoping in the next few days, we will be able to identify and arrest the hackers,” Aguto said.

He refused to go into details so as not to compromise the operation.

The NBI could not say if the hackers were Filipinos or foreigners.

“But the hackers are still in the country. We are coordinating with other government agencies as well as foreign agen- cies,” Aguto said.

A group of hackers called Anonymous Philippines defaced the Comelec website on March 27.

Authorities hope to trace the whereabouts and eventually arrest the hackers.

“Hopefully we can get them in two weeks, if not this week,” a source told The STAR on Monday.

The source said that based on leads, a local-based IP address intruded into the Comelec website, defaced it and leaked database information such as the precinct and post finders.

An alleged Anonymous-affiliated group, LulzSec, claimed it got 340 gigabytes of data from the website and published the database on its two mirror sites and on social media.

The poll body has submitted the activity log of its website to the NBI to help in the investigation.

NBI officials dispelled fears that the hacking would affect the outcome of the May 9 elections, stressing that hackers only got into the Comelec website.

Another official, who declined to be identified, said those casting doubt on the integrity of the coming polls as a result of the hacking should cite specifics.

“Yes, it is true that we cannot set aside the vulnerability of the electoral process to hacking, but they must identify the specifics,” he said.

The official said the data leaked by the hackers are “public record” anyway.

“The Comelec has data that are separate from the ones published in the website,” he added, ruling out disenfranchisement of voters.

Senate probe sought

Overseas Filipino workers’ advocate and senatorial bet Susan Ople sought a Senate inquiry into the hacking of the Comelec website.

“We need to know the magnitude of the hacking so that those affected can protect themselves from identity theft and other forms of cyber crime,” Ople said.

She said the Comelec should explain to the public the measures the poll body has undertaken to safeguard the integrity of the voters’ database.

Ople raised concern over reports that information such as passport details and fingerprints of around 1.3 million registered overseas voters have been leaked on social media.

“Even without such information, we know of scams and cybercrimes targeting OFWs, what more with extensive information available online? This is why we would like to call on the Senate to look into such allegations and to call in the best IT experts to recommend solutions,” Ople said.