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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider NBI says ex-employee who allegedly breached Smartmatic data had outside help

NBI says ex-employee who allegedly breached Smartmatic data had outside help

Published Apr 19, 2022 02:45 pm

The National Bureau of investigation (NBI) is convinced that the former contractual employee did not act alone in the alleged data breaching of a technology firm, Smartmatic, a software provider on contract with the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

NBI Cybercrime Division Chief Victor Lorenzo presents the bureau’s findings into the alleged security breach involving Smartmatic’s servers during the third hearing of the Committee on Electoral Reforms and People’s Participation on election-related issues Tuesday, April 19, 2022. (Photo: Senate PRIB)

In today’s hybrid public hearing by the Senate electoral reforms and people’s participation committee chaired by Senator Imee Marcos, lawyer Victor Lorenzo, head of the NBI cybercrime division, said he is convinced that the former employee, Ricardo Argana, did not act alone as he was not fluent in English based on the communications they have recovered.

It was impossible for one man to have committed 726 log ins or entering a data server of Smartmatic in just six days, he explained.

During the hearing, the NBI showed the timelines of their investigation on the alleged data breach of Smartmatic.

In their presentation, Lorenzo said Argana is facing an administrative inquiry by Smartmatic.

Aside from a criminal charge the NBI would file against Argana, Smartmatic officials they are considering filing damage suits against their former employee.

Argana reportedly admitted that somebody offered him free training modules in exchange for a line connection to a third party with Smartmatic but did not know the third person because he was just contacted by Facebook Messenger.

When prodded by NBI, Argana said he was promised from P50,000 to P300,000 by the third person.

Argana, according to the NBI, has been accused of illegal access and data interference before the Taguig city fiscal’s office.

He was reportedly hired by Smartmatic in August, 2021 as a quality assurance staff and was detailed that a Comelec warehouse in November, 2021 to test the Automated Election System (AES).

In December, 2021 until last January 2, Smartmatic noticed an unusual traffic and the download of its computer system which was later traced to Argana who was found to have brought home a company-issued laptop.

The NBI also said that there are other persons of interest based on the Facebook posts of SXOX Group.

The explained that they saw a pattern of hacking at Smartmatic and a hacking of Comelec server in 2016 described as ‘’Comeleak’’, and the so-called Ilo Ilo Blackhat which saw the hacking of the city government and hospital databases in Iloilo in2018.

Related Tags

poll fraud NBI May 2022 elections Comelec automated election system (AES) smartmatic
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