Hackers expose data from 23 PH institutions 

Over 23 government agencies and private organizations had private files and information uploaded to hacker forums from November 5 to 7, according to cybersecurity group Deep Web Konek.

The group compiled the incidents in a report on November 9. Of the 23 hacking events, 16 involved government agencies, four involved public and private higher education institutions, two involved private companies, and one involved a non-government organization.

Eighteen of the 23 incidents were flagged on November 5, a date considered significant for hackers across the globe.

The date marks the Million Mask March, also known as “Operation Vendetta,” a movement named after the 2005 dystopian thriller “V for Vendetta.” Hacker collective Anonymous has historically organized coordinated actions on the day, often in protest of political corruption, police violence, and restrictions on self-governance.

Experts also tend to warn governments, organizations, and individuals ahead of the day to beef up their cybersecurity measures in anticipation of widespread hacking activity.

“Over the past few days, we have been monitoring, documenting, and consolidating a significant number of reports and disclosures circulating across various platforms,” said Deep Web Konek in reference to the incidents connected to the 2026 Million Mask March.

Government agencies affected by the reported incidents include the Presidential Commission on Good Government, the Department of Information and Communications Technology, the Department of Labor and Employment, the Office of the Vice President, the Department of Transportation, the Philippine Coast Guard, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Department of Interior and Local Government, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, the Philippine Rice Research Institute, the National Power Corporation, the Land Transportation Office, and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center.

The Philippine Air Force and the Bureau of Internal Revenue each recorded two separate hacking incidents over the three-day period.

While not included in the report by Deep Web Konek, the NPC said it received data breach notifications from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Justice, and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology under the Department of Science and Technology.

Of the 18 government agencies included in the Deep Web Konek report, the NPC said it received formal data breach notifications from six as of November 10: PCGG, DICT, DOLE, BIR, SEC, and PCG.

Under NPC Circular No. 16-03, institutions that handle and control personal information are required to notify both the NPC and data subjects within 72 hours of learning about or having reasonable grounds to believe that a personal data breach has occurred.

Two of the impacted agencies also confirmed the hacking incidents in separate statements.

The DILG confirmed the hacking of its Local Government Unit Support System in a statement on November 10, assuring the public that it is coordinating with the NPC to address the incident.

The SEC confirmed the leak on November 9, saying that registered website users’ personal information was shared by hackers. It informed users via email that third-party threat actors may have entered its system through website users’ devices.

Other institutions whose data was uploaded to hacker forums include the Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology, University of Camarines Norte, Cavite State University – General Trias Campus, and University of St. La Salle.

The Philippine Red Cross, Mactan Electric Company, and LBC Express Inc. also had documents leaked by hackers.