Three government agencies have declared that there was no data breach in their systems amid the report on the alleged leak of documents containing personal data from law enforcement and government agencies.
In a statement, Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. assured no alleged leak of personal records happened in the agency.
“The BIR has been exerting efforts to protect and maintain the security of its data. The Bureau has initiated response protocols to keep its database protected,” he said.
“We are now in close coordination with the authorities and other government agencies to assist in mitigating the reported breach," Lumagui added.
Meanwhile, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said results of its recently conducted vulnerability assessment showed that there was no data breach in its system.
“We wish to reassure the public that the NBI, as the national clearinghouse of criminal records and other related information, gives paramount importance to data privacy not only as a matter of national security, but affecting as it does the well-being of our citizens whom we are sworn to protect,” it said, adding that it will continue to probe the report and find new ways to keep the public’s information safe.
The Civil Service Commission (CSC) also announced that there was no breach or attack in its database and system as per the advisory of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) - National Computer Emergency Response Team (NCERT) to them.
“As the central personnel agency of the government, the CSC is mindful that it handles sensitive data on a daily basis, including personal information, appointment records, and the like, in fulfillment of its mandate to provide services and programs on human resource management,” it said.
The CSC guaranteed that it communicates with the DICT and other government agencies on the matter and that it remains “committed to protecting personal data and upholding privacy rights while promoting IT awareness and maximizing technology in the workplace.”
On Tuesday, a cybersecurity research firm VPNMentor reported that over one million data were leaked from the Philippine National Police (PNP), NBI, CSC, BIR, Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), and other agencies.
The National Privacy Commission (NPC) has announced that it will be conducting an investigation into the report.
