COMELEC (Philippines Voters) data breach

What happened

In March 2016, the Philippines Commission of Elections website (COMELEC) was attacked and defaced, allegedly by Anonymous Philippines. Shortly after, data on 55 million Filipino voters was leaked publicly and included sensitive information such as genders, marital statuses, height and weight and biometric fingerprint data. The breach only included 228k email addresses.

What data leaked

• Biometric data
• Dates of birth
• Email addresses
• Family members' names
• Genders
• Job titles
• Marital statuses
• Names
• Passport numbers
• Phone numbers
• Physical addresses
• Physical attributes

What to do if you had an account

1. Turn on two-step sign-in. Enable two-factor authentication where the service offers it, preferably with an authenticator app or a passkey. A leaked password alone is then not enough to get in.
2. Expect targeted phishing. Leaked contact details are used to write convincing fake messages that mention the breached company or your real name. Do not click links in unexpected emails or texts about this account; go to the site by typing its address.
3. Watch for scam calls and SIM swaps. Be suspicious of calls and texts that claim to be from your bank or a courier. Ask your mobile operator for a port-out or SIM-change PIN if it offers one.
4. Guard against identity fraud. Identity documents and dates of birth cannot be changed like a password. Consider a credit freeze or fraud alert where your country offers one, and be wary of anyone who 'verifies' you using those details.
5. Sensitive personal data. This breach includes sensitive categories of personal data. Scammers and blackmailers use such details to pressure people. Do not pay, and report extortion attempts to the police.

Check your email at haveibeenpwned.com

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