The Commission on Elections is probing allegations of a data breach four months before the May 9 national and local polls. Read it here:
“The Comelec is presently validating the allegations of the article published by the Manila Bulletin, specifically whether Comelec systems have, in fact, been compromised. With no independent verification that a hack has indeed taken place, one thing immediately stands out: the article alleges that the hackers were able to ‘download files that included, among others, usernames and PINs of vote-counting machines ,’” Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said.
“The fact, however, is that such information still does not exist in Comelec systems because the configuration files – which includes usernames and PINs – have not yet been completed. This calls into question the veracity of the hacking claim,” he added. Jimenez said the article offered “scant substantiation for its assertions” despite claiming that the authors “verified that there was an ongoing hack.”“Considering that ‘news’ like this could potentially damage the credibility of the elections, the Comelec stands ready to pursue all available remedies against those who, either deliberately or otherwise, undermine the integrity of the electoral process,” Jimenez added.
The article alleged that unidentified hackers stole “60 gigabytes” worth of “sensitive information” on Jan. 8, 2022. It also claimed hackers took network diagrams, IP addresses, list of all privileged users, domain administration credentials, access to the ballot handling dashboard, and QR code captures of the bureau of canvassers.