PCG fully retakes hacked Facebook account

Philippine Coast Guard logo. (Photo from PCG/Facebook)

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) regained full access to its official Facebook account on Thursday, the agency said in a statement.

The hacking, which was reported on Monday, was the third cyberattack against the agency this year.

The PCG’s social media page even started uploading and sharing clips of various foreign movies and television series on Wednesday.

READ: Hacked PCG Facebook page sharing, uploading movie clips

“As of 5:45AM today, 29 February 2024, the Coast Guard Public Affairs Service (CGPAS) has recovered full access to its official Facebook Page,” the PCG said.

According to PCG Spokesperson CG Rear Admiral Armando Balilo, the combined efforts of the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) under the Department of Information and Communications Technology and the PCG led to the removal of three hackers with Facebook names: Fatima Hasan, Murat Kansu, and Vicky Bates.

“The CICC confirmed that the hackers utilized malware to breach the Facebook page’s security on 26 February 2024,” the PCG noted.

READ: Hackers attack PH Coast Guard Facebook page; third this year

The agency said that a “comprehensive hardware check” is scheduled on March 1 for all office laptops and computers being used by personnel from its public affairs service.

This is to remove remaining traces of malware, if any, and strengthen the overall cybersecurity against potential breaches of its social media accounts, the PCG added.