PCG recovers Facebook page after hacking incident

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Tuesday said it has fully recovered its Facebook page after another hacking incident.

“At around 9AM today, 02 April 2024, the Coast Guard Public Affairs Service (CGPAS) recovered full access to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)'s official Facebook page,” the PCG said in a statement.

PCG spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo said the CGPAS coordinated with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) under the Department of Information and Communications Technology as well as with Meta to conduct backend operations and assess the security breach. 

Assessment is still ongoing for the possible identification of the perpetrators behind the cyber attack, according to the PCG.

The CGPAS will have another hardware check with IT experts from the Coast Guard Weapons, Communications, Electronics, and Information System Command to boost its cybersecurity measures. 

On March 29, the PCG Facebook page started to post malicious videos.

In February, the PCG Facebook page was also hacked. Three hackers were discovered with the help of the CICC. The PCG Facebook page was recovered.

Balilo said there is no strong evidence to conclude that the cyber attacks against the agency are connected with its intensified efforts in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). —Joviland Rita/ VAL, GMA Integrated News