BIR 'data leak' under gov't probe

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The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is working with the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) and anti-cybercrime law enforcement units to investigate an alleged leak of its agency data.

In an advisory, the BIR said it is conducting the probe and beefing up security measures in coordination with the DICT and the latter's attached agencies, the National Computer Emergency Response Team (NCERT) and Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC).

It is also working with the Philippine National Police (PNP) Anti-Cybercrime Group regarding the incident, which supposedly occurred on Friday, November 7.

"The Bureau of Internal Revenue is aware of reports circulating online... regarding an alleged leak involving data claimed to be associated with the agency," the advisory read.

The taxman did not provide details about the potential extent of the data leak, or the type of information which may have been reportedly compromised.

"We wish to inform the public that these claims are being treated with utmost urgency and priority," it added.

On September 8, the BIR website suffered what the bureau described as a "brief defacement incident."

Technical teams from the BIR and DICT were able to promptly restore website services.

"Based on the BIR's initial assessment, taxpayer information and core BIR systems were not affected by the incident. As a precaution, the BIR is conducting additional security checks," the bureau said at the time.

The reported BIR data "leak" on Friday comes just over a week after private healthcare provider St. Luke's Medical Center was hit by a "cybersecurity incident" on its mobile application.

The National Privacy Commission (NPC) is currently investigating the matter, which said it received a "data breach notification" from St. Luke's. The commission said some 100,000 people may have been affected.

Although it assured that its critical Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system containing patient records was not compromised, St. Luke's also started reaching out to individuals whose personal information may have been affected.

Last June, the DICT said it was investigating a reported hack of the House of Representatives website, which was allegedly defaced.

Shortly thereafter, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said it has identified persons behind the hacking of several government websites. — VDV, GMA News