PSA system hacking. INQUIRER FILE / STOCK IMAGE
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Wednesday said that its Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) was allegedly affected by a data leak.
The agency said that a cross-agency investigation has been launched to determine the data that has been compromised and will take measures to shut down and isolate the affected systems, in a statement.
“From the initial assessment, the system allegedly affected is limited to the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS). The PSA is assessing what personal data from the CBMS may have been compromised and will share information with the relevant authorities and the public in due course,” the PSA said.
“The agency is taking additional preventive and containment measures to ensure the security and integrity of all systems and databases that are managed, including shutting down and isolating the system known to have been affected,” it added.
Beware!
The PSA added that its Philippine Identification System and the Civil Registration System were not affected by the data breach.
“The PSA assures the public that the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) and the Civil Registration System (CRS) have not been affected. The PSA warns the public that social media posts with the alleged sample data include links that contain malware that may be used by cybercriminals and bad actors to perpetuate other illicit acts. Therefore, the public is strongly advised not to click on such links,” it said.
The PSA likewise said that it condemned the activity, and will collaborate with other authorities to enhance its data security measures.
“The PSA strongly condemns this activity, and we will be working with all law enforcement agencies to apprehend the perpetrators. The PSA is committed to ensuring the integrity of its data and confidentiality of the information collected through its surveys, censuses, PhilSys, and CRS,” it said.
“In line with this, the agency, in collaboration with all authorities, continues to maintain and strengthen its technical, organizational, and physical security measures,” the PSA added.
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