NBI finds lead on hackers who defaced Comelec website

MANILA — The National Bureau of Investigation has now a lead on those behind the hacking of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) website a few weeks ago.

“I would say we have a very good lead,” said Roland Aguto, NBI Cybercrime Division chief. “We’re hoping that in the next few days, we will be able to identify, arrest and charge the person responsible.”

He, however, refused to elaborate, saying it might jeopardize the ongoing investigation.

He only said that the hackers were in the Philippines, based on an IP address check and intelligence report.

Once identified, they would face charges for violating the Cybercrime Prevention Act, Aguto added.

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez, meanwhile, assured the public that sensitive biometrics data were not included in the database leak by a hacker group.

“We know the data they (hacker group) claimed to have and we know that data do not include biometrics,” Jimenez  said in a media briefing on Tuesday.

Two hacktivist groups, Anonymous Philippines and LulzSec Pilipinas, consecutively breached the Comelec website last March 27.

Jimenez said the hacking would not compromise the elections results and that data inside the Comelec could not be manipulated.

“The Comelec is studying legal remedies against those who intruded on the Comelec website as well as those who are benefitting. Once they are identified and apprehended, there will be legal action against them as well as those who have been taking advantage of what they did,” he said.  SFM