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MANILA, Philippines — A series of hacking attempts against government agencies continues, with the Department of Energy (DOE) being the latest victim of cybercriminals.
The DOE bared this incident in a statement on Sunday, saying its Government Energy Management Program website was “hacked and defaced” on Saturday night.
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It did not mention if data were compromised, but the department said it “immediately took the system offline.”
The agency was also closely cooperating with the Philippine National Computer Emergency Response Team (NCERT) and the system developer to address the website’s vulnerabilities.
The DOE assured the public that measures were ongoing to strengthen its system against hackers.
As of Sunday morning, the website has yet to be restored to full operations.
A Manila-based hacktivist and greyhat group claimed responsibility for the cyberattack, noting that it breached the website “with ease.”
“This is a wake-up call. Your system isn’t as secure as you think,” DeathNote Hackers said on a Facebook page.
“If a group like DeathNote Hackers, who operate with limited resources and experience compared to nation-state actors, can compromise your systems, it raises an alarming question: what could happen if Chinese hackers, who are known for their sophisticated cyber capabilities, decided to target you?” the group said.
DeathNote Hackers said the DOE website has a “significant vulnerability” that requires “immediate attention.”
The group also warned that if the DOE fails to address the vulnerability issues, it will have “no problem publishing all related data, including trade secrets, on BreachForum if we find you incompetent after this breach.”