Attempts to hack Senate website traced to PH, Germany and US

Cybercrime/hacking. STOCK IMAGE/INQUIRER files

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate on Tuesday revealed the spike in attempts to hack the chamber’s website, noting that these attempts were both domestic and foreign.

In an ambush interview, Electronic Data Processing Management Information System Director Mario Antonio Sulit told reporters the bids to attack the Senate website were traced to various places.

“There are attempts from Germany, United States, Vietnam, and some from the Philippines,” said Sulit.

He explained the hackers might also be using a Virtual Public Network (VPN) designed to mimic an internet protocol address abroad rather than for it to look like a local product.

“Maybe they are not really from Germany. [Maybe] they are just using a VPN to hide their identity,” suspected Sulit.

For his part, Senate Secretary Renato Bantug said the increase in attempts to hack the chamber’s website transpired on Sunday, October 15.

The incidents happened around the same time the website of the House of Representatives was defaced by hackers who called themselves “3MUSKETEERZ.”

Asked what hackers can obtain following this action, Bantug answered, just mere “bragging rights.”

He said there are no confidential data uploaded on the Senate website.

“What we have online at the Senate website are essentially public documents [like] records of the proceedings, committee hearings, etcetera,” identified Bantug.

“The only possible private data that they can mine will be our email server, but none of our senators, as of the present moment, use our email servers,” he said.

“So it will not be compromised at all at this rate,” he added.

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APL/abc