Comelec data hack not possible – DICT

MANILA, Philippines — The ongoing investigation on the alleged hacking of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) database has found no confirmed breach of vital personal data, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said yesterday.

In a statement, the DICT said its cybersecurity bureau, however, continues to monitor the alleged hacking incident of Comelec servers on Jan. 8 and is now coordinating with other agencies.

“Preliminary findings suggest that a hack was not possible due to the vote counting machine system being offline and the lack of existing data on the automated election system that could be breached,” the department said.

“Moving forward, the DICT plans to continue its coordination with the Cyber Crime Investigation and Coordinating Center, Comelec and other concerned agencies on the matter,” it added.

“The DICT would undertake the necessary measures to ensure a fair and secure electoral process, and is ready to assist the Comelec on related cybersecurity concerns,” it said.

For its part, the National Privacy Commission (NPC) said its own investigation would continue with clarificatory hearings involving concerned people in the Comelec and the Manila Bulletin, which made the claim of the alleged hacking.

The NPC also summoned the third party provider of the Comelec to shed light on the incident.

It asked the Comelec and Manila Bulletin to provide additional information for the investigation. – Louella Desiderio, Robertzon Ramirez