News Agency Website Hacked

Hackers disrupted the operations of a Philippine-based news agency after they defaced its website on July 21.

Carolyn O. Arguillas, editor of Mindanews, confirmed the hacking incident to XPRESS. "I asked our IT staff to look into the case," she said.

On that day, a message reading "This site is now under control of the Palestinian hacker" appeared on the Mindanews website www.mindanews.com. The site has since been disabled.

Mindanews, based in Davao City, in the Mindanao region of southern Philippines, is a news syndication of journalists covering regional issues of the local population there.

The agency is also active in reporting stories based on law and order, arts and culture and development in the southern Philippines.

Before the hacking, Minda-news was posting follow-up stories on the killing of 14 Philippine Marine soldiers who were ambushed in Basilan province by rebels belonging to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

The Marines were searching for an Italian Catholic priest, Fr Giancarlo Bossi, who was kidnapped by armed men believed to be members of the Abu Sayyaf, a group identified as one of the South-East Asian cells of Al Qaida's network.

Incidentally, the defacing of the website happened two days after the priest was freed.

"We're still trying to see if the hacking had something to do with the stories we were pursuing," a Mindanews member said on condition of anonymity.