The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) announced Thursday, Oct. 12, that some data resembling those from its OneExpert portal was posted on a social media site on October 8.

“These data contained some publicly listed names of technical experts, their email addresses, as well as users with their email addresses,” DOST said.

The science and technology agency stated that a security incident occurred before when the Philippine National Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-PH) found a compromised account accessed the site.

The website’s normal operations were restored following the probe.

“While this incident may cause concern among the affected individuals and the public, we would like to assure everyone that no sensitive personal information has been compromised [...] ” it added.

According to DOST, the OnExpert portal contains a registry of Filipino experts that expands the “reach of science and technology assistance to clients within the country.”

The agency, however, maintained that despite the list of clients or users not being accessible through the portal, its use is being monitored, reported, and made available in the DOST official records.

“The DOST takes data security and the protection of personal information very seriously. We are continuously implementing measures to strengthen the security of our information systems in the course of delivering science and technology services to the public,” it said.