(UPDATE) MANILA, Philippines — No confidential or sensitive information was compromised following the defacement of the Senate website by Filipino hacktivists belonging to Nullsec Philippines.
The Senate's Electronic Data Processing and Management Information System (EDP-MIS) Bureau based on its initial assessment of the hacking incident.
"The website primarily contains publicly available documents and informational materials intended for public access," the EDP-MIS said on Thursday.
It also said that additional security measures "are also being implemented to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future."
"We assure the public that protecting the integrity and availability of our systems remains a top priority," the EDP-MIS said in a statement.
It said that the Senate website was recently "subjected to an unauthorized modification, commonly referred to as a website defacement."
"Upon detection of the incident, our technical team immediately initiated security protocols, contained the issue, and commenced a comprehensive investigation to determine the cause and extent of the unauthorized activity," it added. On Facebook, Nullsec wrote, "Today we have defaced the official website of the Senate of the Philippines."
In its message to the Senate, the group said, "We are watching. The Filipino people entrusted you with power, responsibility, and the duty to serve the nation — not personal interests, political dynasties, or corrupt networks."
"Every peso lost to corruption is a meal taken from a family, a classroom left unfinished, and a future denied," it said.
"Transparency is not optional. Accountability is not negotiable. Public office is not a shield from scrutiny," Nullsec added.
Nullsec Philippines is a Filipino GreyHat/hacktivist collective engaged in coordinated cyber campaigns, including mass website defacements and exploitation of security vulnerabilities, carried out as digital protest, according to its Facebook page.
