MANILA, Philippines – The Directorate for Information and Communications Technology Management (DICTM) of the Philippine National Police has placed itself on high alert for a possible series of cyber attacks on its websites by hackers or “hacktivists” in the wake of the recent hostage-taking tragedy in Manila.
Chief Inspector Felizardo Eubra of the Web Services and Cyber Technology Division, the anti-hacking unit of the DICTM, has expressed concern that the attack on the PNP’s websites is now ongoing after the agency’s main website www.pnp.gov.ph was shut down and could not be accessed as of this morning.
Eubra said a team from his unit is now tracing where the attack could have originated.
Eubra told The STAR that just minutes after the bloody end to the hostage taking, a barrage of hate e-mails were received by the PNP through its e-mail address feedback@pnp.gov.ph. The hate-emails were followed by another e-mail threatening to deface and then shut down all of the PNP’s websites.
Eubra would not say for the meantime where the threatening e-mail had originated, saying that their anti-hacking team is now tracing it.
“We are now taking the warning very seriously. We have sent a memo to all our other offices to take safeguards and secure all of the PNP’s websites from these hactivists,” Eubra told The STAR.
Most of the e-mails sent to the PNP were sent from Hong Kong, an official detailed with DICTM earlier told The STAR.
One e-mail sent by a certain Diu Kau Lee said the Philippine police force is “rubbish” and branded the country as a “nation of slaves.”
Another e-mail, also sent from Hong Kong, chided the Manila Police for taking 30 minutes to break into the bus with a 10-pound hammer
Another e-mail, meanwhile, questioned the way the Manila Police handled the brother of the hostage-taker. The e-mail also asked President Aquino to relieve officials of the Manila Police over the incident. - By Mike Frialde
