PCG’s X page compromised, contents wiped out

Contents of the Philippine Coast Guard’s (PCG) official page on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) suddenly disappear on Thursday morning, February 15, 2024. INQUIRER FILES

MANILA, Philippines — Contents of the Philippine Coast Guard’s (PCG) official page on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) suddenly disappeared as of Thursday morning.

The PCG’s X page, as well as its reply tabs, were empty, although the “like” reactions were kept – however, most of the “likes” came from a particular account promoting cryptocurrency.

The PCG admitted in a post on its official Instagram and Facebook accounts that its X page “has been compromised.” It also said they immediately reported the incident and coordinated with the X Support Team.

READ: DICT traces hack attempts in China

By 11:30 a.m., the PCG said its X page was restored.

It vowed to bolster its cybersecurity measures “to protect our account against security breaches.”

Last February 4, the Department of Information and Communications Technology said cyberattacks targeted the websites of PCG and other government agencies. It noted that perpetrators were traced to an internet protocol address in China.

Upon learning about this, the PCG said it had bolstered the security of its website.

READ: PCG website remains secure, says Balilo amid reported hacking attempts

The Chinese embassy, however, said its government firmly opposes all forms of cyberattacks in accordance with their law.

Also, the embassy slammed Philippine government officials and the media for what they call “irresponsible remarks” on the hacking incident.

READ: China refutes accusations of hacking PH gov’t websites

“Some Filipino officials and media maliciously speculated about and groundlessly accused China of engaging in cyber attacks against the Philippines, even going as far as connecting these cyber attacks with the South China Sea disputes. Such remarks are highly irresponsible,” the embassy said in a statement on February 5.