THE Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) yesterday regained full control of its official Facebook page that it loss to three hackers last Monday.
“As of 5:45 a.m. today, 29 February, the Coast Guard Public Affairs Service (CGPAS) has recovered full access to its official Facebook page,” the PCG said in a statement.
CGPAS handles the operation of the PCG’s Facebook page which it uses it disseminating vital information to the public.
The PCG said it collaborated with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) of the Department of Information and Communications Technology “in conducting backend operations” which led to the “discovery and removal of three hackers with Facebook names Fatima Hasan, Murat Kansu, and Vicky Bates.”
It said the hackers used malware to breach the Facebook page’s security on February 26.
The PCG said it is coordinating with the CICC to determine if “Fatima Hasan, Murat Kansu and Vicky Bates are real persons.
It said the CICC will conduct a “comprehensive hardware check” on the office laptops and computers that the PCG uses to access its social media platforms to “remove remaining traces of malware, if any, and strengthen its overall cybersecurity against potential breaches.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, the hackers have posted 13 movie clips on the agency’s Facebook page.
The PCG has said it has no evidence to link the hacking to its intensified efforts to safeguard the Philippines’ interest in the West Philippine Sea in the South China Sea.
China has become aggressive in its claims over the West Philippine Sea. It has harassed Philippine government vessels and Filipino boats at Ayungin Shoal and Scarborough Shoal in the past months.
Last February 15, the PCG briefly lost control of its X (formerly Twitter) account which had been used to repost crypto currency-related post while it was out of the PCG control.
Last month, the PCG received information from the Department of Information and Communication Technology about the hacking of the PCG website. After checking, the PCG said no hacking activity was observed on its website.
