Comelec Online Precinct Finder Under Heavy Cyberattacks
From May 11 to May 14, the Comelec online precinct finder website experienced over 1.45 million hacking attempts, highlighting the growing cyber threat as elections approach. The poll commission recorded a staggering total of 76.81 million visits during this period, with 46.17 million being legitimate searches by voters seeking their precinct information.
Meanwhile, aside from the hacking attempts, a significant number of visits were identified as Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks aimed at disrupting the website’s availability. A Comelec spokesperson explained, “Ang nakikita namin na gustong gawin by DDOs ay i-down website at idamay ang election results website.” (We think the DDOs attacks are meant to take down the website and the election results website.)
Robust Security Measures Protect System Integrity
Security remains a top priority, as the Comelec website itself also recorded an impressive 113.71 million visits in just three days. Despite this, at least 1.75 million confirmed hacking attempts were thwarted thanks to the strong defenses set up by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and Comelec’s cybersecurity team.
“Nakakatuwa dahil ang security in place na nilatag ng DICT at Comelec cybersecurity division, gumagana naman po,” the spokesperson shared. They urged the public to stop engaging with hackers, emphasizing that these tools were created to assist voters, not to be attacked.
Trusted Source of Information Amid Fake News
In an era where misinformation spreads rapidly, having a reliable source is crucial. The Comelec website serves as the primary and trusted platform for accurate election information. “Sa nagkalat na fake news at disinformation ngayon, kailangang kailangan ng trusted na source of information at ang pangunahin galing Comelec ay ang website,” the official said.
Earlier reports from April also noted unsuccessful cyberattacks on Comelec’s systems, including thousands of failed attempts targeting the overseas internet voting system. Despite these challenges, the commission remains committed to securing election processes and protecting voter data.
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