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Lacson to Comelec: Don’t lower guard on effects of Smatmatic hacking

January 31, 2022 Joel dela Torre 279 views

PRESIDENTIAL candidate Panfilo “Ping” Lacson urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) not to lower its guard against possible unauthorized access to its data as a result or effects of the Smartmatic hacking.

“While its servers may not have been hacked after all, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) must remain on guard against possible unauthorized access to its data as the May polls draw closer,” Lacson said.

According to the Partido Reporma standard bearer, the poll agency will soon be interfacing with contractor Smartmatic, whose system was believed compromised.

While his cybersecurity team’s initial findings indicate extortion is the possible motive of the hack, Lacson pointed out that the integrity of the May elections will be endangered if the Comelec does not put safeguards in place.

“Darating ang panahon na mag-interface ‘yan. ‘Pag nag-interface, maaaring ma-compromise din ang Comelec. ‘Yan ang nakakatakot,” the veteran lawmaker said in an interview aired over DWIZ radio.

Initial information from his technical team, he said, showed that the systems of Smartmatic were hacked, with extortion as the possible motive.

“Pero hindi ganoon kasimple,” he noted.

The former top cop said his team is now studying the extent of the hack on Smartmatic’s systems, adding Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center Undersecretary Cezar Mancao II has more explaining to do before lawmakers on the matter.

“Dapat lang talaga ipaliwanag lahat. Integridad ng eleksyon ang nakataya rito. What if may isang kandidato na doon ibinenta kung anong nahawakan ng sindikato? Hindi ba napaka-delikado?” he said.

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