PCIJ gets hit by 'most serious' cyberattack in recent years

MANILA, Philippines — Attempts to hijack the website of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism forced it to go offline on Wednesday, according to the PCIJ's executive director.

PCIJ Executive Director Carmela Fonbuena said in a statement that they experienced an "active hacking attack" on the PCIJ website, prompting them to render it temporarily inaccessible to "assess and prevent further damage."

PCIJ's recent stories include a report on online communities of Filipinos who have been amplifying and supporting pro-Beijing narratives, which include the claims of the Chinese government in the West Philippine Sea.

Published on October 23 and written by journalist Camille Elemia, the PCIJ story also documented the pro-China content being pushed by two think tanks that have recently caught the attention of the National Security Council. 

Other recent stories published by the PCIJ were about the votes being sold at the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections Percy Lapid case and the excessive profit at the NGCP.

This is the "most serious" cyberattack in recent years on the Philippines' primary media agency focused on investigative reporting, according to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP).

"We are taking this security concern seriously and are taking steps to protect our infrastructure and archives," Fonbuena said.

The NUJP said that this incident follows other similar cyberattacks experienced by news outlets. 

"Every news website that has to go offline, even temporarily, means less public access to information and fewer resources devoted to reporting," the NUJP added.