NBI nabs hackers involved in PH Navy cybersecurity breach

NBI arrested three suspects in a cybersecurity breach at the Philippine Navy.

MANILA, Philippines — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has arrested hackers involved in a cybersecurity breach at the Philippine Navy.

NBI Director Jaime Santiago identified two of the three hackers, Anikin Luke Abales and Daniel Xavier Valdez, founder of the BloodSec International group of hackers.

Santiago said the other hacker was a Navy personnel.

However, he refused to give other details about the Navy personnel as the investigation is ongoing.

“Their group, if you recall, is responsible for the 2016 Comelec hacking,” Santiago said in Filipino.

NBI Cybercrime Division chief Jeremy Lotoc said the arrest of the three was an offshoot of hackers in Tagaytay last July 8.

He said during the controlled viewing of one of the mobile phones of the suspects, they found communication with a hacker who happened to be part of the Philippine Navy.

Lotoc said through coordination with the Navy, they were able to identify the suspected hacker within its ranks.

He said the mobile phone of the arrested Navy personnel had a directory scanner.

“I has the capability to scan secret files, directory,” he said.

Lotoc said further investigation showed that the Navy personnel was in constant communication with a person who later on turned out to be Valdez.

“We hatched an arrest operation,” he added in Filipino.

Santiago said the confidential information was communicated with Abales to collaborate on a project. During this communication, it was confirmed that he had the passcode to access a file from the Philippine Navy.

The NBI arrested Abales after he gave access to the hacked file.

Meanwhile, Valdez was arrested in Quezon City.

Abales is facing a complaint for violation of the Cybercrime Prevention Act and Data Privacy Act of 2012 while Valdez is facing a complaint for violating the Cybercrime Prevention Act and Electronic Commerce Act of 2000.

Philippine Navy spokesperson Commander John Percie Alcos assured the public that the suspects only managed to access open-source documents, meaning documents that are already available to the public.