The Facebook page of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) – Region 7 has been hacked and had been sharing and posting some random videos and photos.
The Meta-verified PSA page is used to post various statistical reports from Central Visayas – ranging from carabao production reports to population rates – and other concerns regarding PSA.
The page, which has been inactive since February, was hacked 2 hours after they changed their cover photo to a group photo of the team last Sunday, July 23.
Since then, it has been posting unrelated content, including a Facebook reel of 2 men vaping inside a car and sharing random posts of funny videos. The hacker also changed the profile photo and cover photo of the page with photos of a Latina artist manager (@saampysca) and posted several photos of her on the page.
The occurrence is gaining attention from the public who have been leaving funny reactions and comments on the posts:
The posts have still not been taken down as of writing.
This is the second time that a government-affiliated page has been hacked this month. Earlier this month, the Facebook page of the Department of Education (DepEd) for Bagong Nayon II National High School got taken over by hackers who started posting provocative content on the page.
Again, here are tips to help avoid this from happening to you (or your professional page):
Have a strong authentication
May it be passwords or biometrics, make sure that it cannot be easily guessed–birthdays and topline information about yourself can easily be scrubbed on your page. Try also using a mix of upper- and lower-case letters with numbers and symbols, and use Two-factor Authentication (2FA) if possible.
Be wary of websites and links
Random websites and links can also steal your personal information and access your accounts. Take this as a reminder to never click that enticing advertisement that’s too good to be true in the first place anyway.
As much as possible, avoid connecting to public Wi-Fi
Connecting to public Wi-Fi can put you at risk as security for this type of connection may not be that strong. If possible, use cellular data or a pocket Wi-Fi when you’re going out.
Keep an eye on any suspicious activities
There’s nothing wrong with being a little more vigilant, if you think someone’s accessing your account, report immediately.
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