PHL hackers deface PNRI website, hint at more attacks

Hackers claiming to be from the Philippines attacked the website of the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute on Monday, redirecting visitors to a separate website. Visitors who logged to the PNRI website at 11 a.m. were redirected to a site that bore a "warning" from the "Philker" group. "We are not trying to damage you. We only want to help protect our country's cyberspace by doing what seems to be the most efficient way to get everyone's attention. May this deface serve as a reminder that you always have to look out for intruders. No matter how intelligent and competent your computer personnel are, there will be unethical hackers that are constantly working on breaking in your security," the hackers said in their message in the redirected site.

It added it was "fortunate" that Philker was the one that broke into the site and not other groups. The site was inaccessible as of 1 p.m., with some visitors getting an error message that the "server could not direct your request," although it no longer redirected visitors to Philker's site. It was back online at around 1:30 p.m. In its message, the group said that while it and online "thieves and terrorists" are "cut from the same cloth," its difference is that "we have good intentions." Philker said it aims to elevate the Philippines' cyber culture and to "point out and correct the vulnerabilities of Philippine websites," to "protect them from unethical hackers, fraud, false propaganda and other people with malicious intent." It also hinted at future break-ins of other sites, leaving behind a note similar to the international hacktivist group Anonymous. "Expect more from us. We are Philker," it said - a nod to Anonymous' "Expect us" warning. — KBK, GMA News