Alleged OSG breach concerns justice department

MANILA – The Department of Justice (DOJ) is still waiting for information from the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) on a supposed breach of its database.

Secretary Menardo Gueverra told reporters through text message that the DOJ has a substantial interest in finding out the cause of the alleged data breach and any prejudice to the interest of the government that such breach, if true, may have unduly caused.

“The OSG handles thousands of cases in the Court of Appeals and in the Supreme Court in representation of the government in general and of the DOJ in particular,” he said.

“I will appreciate it very much if the OSG will inform the DOJ of its findings, considering the big number of DOJ cases being handled by the OSG,” he added.

In a statement on April 30, the United Kingdom-based TurgenSec claimed it “became aware of a publicly accessible data store which belonged to the Solicitor General of the Philippines”.

The breach, according to the firm, appeared to contain over 300,000 files and documents downloaded by an unknown third party.

It said the files contained staff training documents, internal passwords and policies, staffing payment information, financial processes, and activities, including audits.

TurgenSec’s e-mails to the OSG about the breach on March 1 and March 24 were unanswered.

“The breach was closed by the 28th of April, presumably using the information provided by TurgenSec,” the firm noted.