Nelson Morales

eGovPH app on a smartphone. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

eGovPH

Katrina Domingo

Arthur Fuentes

ABS-CBN News

MANILA — The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) denied reports that hackers had breached the eGovPH platform over the weekend amid the widespread Sept. 21 protests against government corruption.The eGovPH app and website act as a single, one-stop shop for various government services and transactions. It is meant to simplify processes, reduce red tape, and promote ease of doing business by providing a single secure platform for accessing national and local government services. Many Filipinos who travel abroad also use the eGovPH app for departure and arrival clearance through immigration, as it stores passport and other personal details.  In a statement, the DICT said &quot;the eGov PH App itself was not compromised.&quot; &quot;The incident involved one of the third-party systems integrated with the platform. As of this time, there is no evidence of a data breach within the eGov PH App. All personal information in the app remains secure, encrypted, and protected by stringent cybersecurity protocols,&quot; the agency said. DICT Secretary Henry Aguda, however, also reported that at least 19 government websites were hacked over the weekend. The hacked websites are under the DICT, Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev), Bureau of Customs, Anti-Red Tape Authority, and 15 local government units.Aguda said they were able to defend against 1.4 million other attempted breaches, and said that the agency is already monitoring a person of interest.“Mayroon din from the outside (of the country) nag-attempt pero hindi nakapasok,” Aguda said in a press conference in Malacañang.“They were trying to overwhelm some of the websites. To date, wala pa kaming verified report of exfiltration so wala pang information na nawala,” he said.“Ligtas at maayos ang lahat ng critical government systems,” he said.Initial “chatter in the cybersecurity community is pointing to” AnonymousPH as the culprit behind the hacking, but the group denied the allegations, he said.“There is a person of interest that we are pursuing,” Aguda said, but declined to identify the said individual.There is no clear common denominator among the websites that have been targeted, he added.“All the other government websites started reinfocing their cybersecurity platform. I think what they tried to do is kung sino mapasok nila yun na napasok nila,” he said.The government is now investigating if the hacking is linked to the group encouraging to join the “Black Mask March,” an online movement that urged online users to join the September 21 protests and wear black shirts and masks.“‘Yung mga hacktivists, sinasakyan nila ang cause. Ito yung first incident na nakita namin na nag organize sila sa web at nagtranslate into violence,” Aguda said.“Naglalagay na sila ng how to create molotov sa web. Hindi niyo lang nakikita kasi I’d like to acknowledge social media platforms because they actively take it down,” he said.<div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/O-AVBNqcPd0?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe> </div>“Nag-iincite talaga ng violence.”Over 200 people were arrested in Recto and Mendiola in Manila after riots erupted near the Malacañang complex on Sunday afternoon, while peaceful protests were ongoing at Luneta and at the EDSA People Power Monument.Several individuals clad in black clothes, including minors, began hurling rocks and improvised explosives towards the police units surrounding Malacañang.The unrest eventually resulted into protesters destroying traffic lights and other government properties, while others ransacked a hotel and burned several vehicles.“It’s a collective. It’s not one person, not one organization,” Aguda said.“As of 2 p.m. (September 21), peaceful pa po tayo. Bandang 3:00 to 3:30 p.m., nagkaroon na ng gulo,” he said.“Doon kami may namonitor na mga chatter sa internet. ‘Yang mga ‘yan nagoorganize using Facebook Live. Sasabihin nila, ‘Dito kayo mag-log in sa link na ito tapos doon sila mag oorganize,” he said.“Parang flash mob ang nangyayari.”Authorities are now expected to announce the results of their investigations in the coming days to determine who organized the violent demonstrations in Manila, and if the riots were politically motivated.The DICT said it remains committed to transparency and the protection of personal data, and that it is taking all necessary measures to ensure the continued security, reliability, and efficiency of our digital services.

The DICT says the eGovPH superapp and platform were not compromised, but several government websites were hacked amid protests vs corruption.

The DICT says the eGovPH superapp and platform were not compromised, but several government websites were hacked amid protests vs corruption.

eGov platform not breached but 19 govt websites hacked says DICT

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eGov platform not breached but 19 govt websites hacked says DICT

Katrina Domingo,

Arthur Fuentes,

ABS-CBN News

Published September 22, 2025 02:38 PM PHT

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Updated September 22, 2025 02:50 PM PHT

Read More:

DICT

Henry Aguda

hacking

Anonymous Philippines

September 21 protest

hacktivist

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