PNP: ‘No hacking incident, intrusion or breach’ in its database

Facade of the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame. Image from pnp.gov.ph website

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police assured the public on Thursday that no hacking incident occurred, and over a million private records of police personnel and applicants remain secure after claims of a breach online.

Last April 25, Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary John Uy said that no personal records were stolen in the hacking incident on April 18 following reports of a hacking incident by cybersecurity researcher Jeremiah Fowler on VPNMentor.

Fowler claimed that the massive data hack exposed 817.54 gigabytes of PNP, National Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Internal Revenue, and Special Action Force employee and applicant records.

The PNP said it backs Uy’s statement and has coordinated with the DICT for a parallel investigation.

“As an immediate response to the said report by the National Privacy Commission, the Anti-Cyber Crime Group is currently exerting efforts in fast-tracking its internal investigation to determine if there are possible violations of provisions of Republic Act 10173 (Data Privacy Act of 2012),” the police organization said in a statement.

“Likewise, the Directorate for Information and Communication Technology is currently conducting an assessment of the systems to determine possible violations or lapses in protocols and procedures,” it added.

PNP also assured the public that with the help of DICT, it will “ensure the security, safety, and privacy of information in the custody of the police force [will] strictly comply with the provisions of the Data Privacy Act.”

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