THE website of the House of Representatives (www.congress.gov.ph) was hacked by anonymous user "3musketeerz" on Sunday, October 15, 2023.
The website's front page displayed a troll face meme, the schedule of committee meetings was altered, and the photo journals section and press releases were defaced with a troll face images.
In a statement, Secretary-General Reginald Yelasco said the House official website experienced "unauthorized access."
"Immediate steps have been taken to address the issue, and we are working closely with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), and law enforcement agencies concerned to investigate the matter," Yelasco said in the statement.
The House has issued a warning to the public to be cautious of any communications claiming to be from the House of Representatives.
"While we work to restore the website fully, we ask for patience and understanding. We are committed to ensuring the security and integrity of our digital platforms, and we will implement additional measures to prevent such incidents in the future," Yelasco said.
This is the third major cyberattack on a Philippine government agency in recent months. In September, the Philippine Statistics Authority was hacked, and in October, the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. was also targeted.
"For the moment, we advise the public to be cautious of any suspicious emails or communications that claim to be from the House of Representatives," Yelasco said. (SunStar Philippines)
