House of Representatives' website defaced by hackers

The website of the House of Representatives was defaced by hackers on Sunday.

The URL congress.gov.ph had the following message on its homepage on Sunday morning: "YOU'VE BEEN HACKED. YOU'VE BEEN HACKED. HAVE A NICE DAY."

It was accompanied by a caricature of a laughing man.

Below it was the message: "HAPPY APRIL FULLZ KAHIT OCTOBER PALANG! HACKED BY 3MUSKETEERZ 15-October-2023 || 11:31:24 AM"

The website was inaccessible thereafter.

House Secretary General Reginald Velasco on Sunday afternoon confirmed the hacking of their website.

"We wish to inform the public that the official website of the House of Representatives experienced unauthorized access earlier today," Velasco said in a statement.

"Immediate steps have been taken to address the issue, and we are working closely with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) and law enforcement agencies concerned to investigate the matter," he added.

Velasco appealed to the public for patience as they work to restore the website.

"While we work to restore the website fully, we ask for patience and understanding. We are committed to ensure the security and integrity of our digital platforms, and we will implement additional measures to prevent such incidents in the future," he added.

"For the moment, we advise the public to be cautious of any suspicious emails or communications that claim to be from the House of Representatives. We will keep the public updated as more information becomes available," Velasco said.

BASAHIN: Pahayag ni House Secretary Gen. Reginald Velasco kaugnay sa hindi otorisadong pag-access sa website ng Kamara kaninang umaga. @dzbb pic.twitter.com/Y3w5Mn9aAt

— Isa Avendaño-Umali (@Isa_Umali) October 15, 2023

Meanwhile, DICT spokesperson and Assistant Secretary Renato "Aboy" Paraiso said the department is coordinating with the House of Representatives regarding the matter.

"The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has been informed of the cybersecurity incident that occurred at the House of Representatives. We are currently investigating the extent of the said incident and we shall provide further updates to the public as soon as they become available," Paraiso said in a message sent to reporters. —KG, GMA Integrated News