MANILA (AFP) - – The Philippines on Sunday ordered all government offices to tighten Internet security after its main information website was brought down by hackers.
"We are alerting all government agencies to review and improve security of their websites in view of the hacking of the website this afternoon," presidential spokesman Herminio Coloma said.
"We are adopting best practices to lessen the vulnerability of our websites to hacking and other cyber crimes," Coloma said.
The information agency website was inaccessible for several hours in the afternoon with the words "Hacked by 7z1" appearing if searched on Google.
Coloma did not say whether the hacker attack was related to widespread public anger in Hong Kong over police bungling of a hostage crisis that left eight tourists dead on Monday.
President Benigno Aquino's personal Facebook account, which is linked to his official website, has been flooded by hate messages over the incident, with many coming from disgruntled Hong Kong residents accusing his police force of incompetence.
Aquino censored his Facebook page after Internet users ignored his appeal to stop bashing his government over its handling of the hostage crisis, banning slanderous and defamatory comments and posts.
Coloma said only slanderous postings and profanities were erased from the Facebook page.
"But those expressing their feelings -- even if they are negative -- are not being erased from the website because cyberspace should be democratic and different views are permitted," he said.
