NSC Warns of Possible Foreign Cyber Interference in 2025 Election

The National Security Council (NSC) warns of possible cyber-related intrusions initiated by foreign entities during the 2025 midterm elections, urging the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to prepare to counter such threats. According to the NSC, foreign meddling may come in the form of using disinformation to sway the decision of voters, or worse, hacking the electoral database or interfering with the transmission of votes to disrupt the process and results of the elections.  

“The NSC is sounding the alarm on possible electoral interference by foreign entities. Given that it will be an election year, we should start preparing now to protect the integrity of the electoral process and protect it from cyberattacks,” 

Jonathan Malaya, NSC Assistant Director General  

According to NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya, they have already contacted the DICT to help prepare and secure the elections by safeguarding the electoral database and transmission of the election results.  

Malaya noted the possibility of such an attack from foreign entities, indicating similar patterns that target democratic countries. 

“We see a consistent pattern abroad. We have seen foreign interference in elections in most democracies… due to the openness and transparency of such democracies.” 

Jonathan Malaya, NSC Assistant Director General

US, UK, New Zealand Accusing China of Cyberespionage  

The warning from the NSC came after the United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), and New Zealand accused China of committing cyber espionage that allegedly hit millions of people, with American and British officials filing charges and imposing sanctions against the Chinese government. New Zealand did not press any charges due to the lack of legislation permitting such penalties. 

According to US and UK authorities, a hacking group nicknamed Advanced Persistent Threat 31 (APT31) was allegedly involved in hacking activities targeting American officials, journalists, Pentagon defense contractors, British political figures, institutions, and voters’ data, as well as New Zealand’s Parliament in 2021, resulting in a massive data leak affecting millions of people. APT31 is reportedly affiliated to China’s Ministry of State Security.  

In response, China denied the accusations, calling out the US and UK for imposing sanctions with China’s Foreign Ministry Lin Jian describing the allegations as an act of “political manipulation” and “politicizing cyber security issues.”  

“This is purely political manipulation. China is strongly dissatisfied with this and firmly opposes it,” 

“We urge the United States and the United Kingdom to stop politicizing cyber security issues, stop slandering and smearing China, impose unilateral sanctions, and stop cyberattacks on China.” 

China Foreign Ministry Lin Jian

China is currently at the front of several hacking-related incidents, with several countries and organizations linking cyber-related events to Chinese hackers allegedly backed by the Chinese government.  

The 2016 “COMELEAK” 

In March 2016, a month before the Philippines’ third automated election, two hacker organizations hacked the Commission of Elections (COMELEC), defacing the website, gaining access to, and leaking the database’s contents. This event was regarded as the largest leak of personal information in Philippine history and dubbed the “Comeleak.” 

Philippine hacktivist group Anonymous Philippines breached and defaced the COMELEC website on March 27, 2016, issuing a warning to strengthen the security features of the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines. 

“What happens when the electoral process is so mired in questions and controversies? Can the government still guarantee that the sovereignty of the people will be upheld? We request the implementation of the security features in the PCOS (precinct count optical scan) machines,” 

-Anonymous Philippines 

A day later, on March 28, Pinoy LulzSec (Previously LulzSec Pilipinas) accessed the COMELEC database containing the data of 55 million registered voters and leaked it on their Facebook page and archive.org, and even going as far as creating a search engine for the leaked information.  

COMELEC Boosting Security System Against Cyber Attacks For 2025 Election 

In response to the warning, Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Chairman George Garcia issued a statement, noting that preparations to test and secure their systems have already begun, with the COMELEC’s Information Technology (IT) team already preparing for such threats.  

“That is what we are doing. The reason why the preparation is early. Procurement is timely. This ensures that the system is tested and all security measures are put in place. The features and the wish lists that we included in the hardware, software and transmission ensure the protection against any cyberattack,”   

George Garcia, COMELEC Chairman

The COMELEC has inked a PHP 17.99 B contract with South Korean firm Miru Systems Co. Ltd for an automated election system (AES) to be utilized in the 2025 midterms elections, officially replacing Smartmatic. According to the contract, Miru Systems is set to supply “110,000 automated counting machines, election management systems, consolidations and canvassing systems, ballot printing, ballot boxes, and several other peripherals.” 

Despite concerns regarding the security and performance raised by lawmakers and experts regarding the Miru System, Garcia noted that the contract was still awarded to the South Korean firm with the COMELEC receiving “certifications from electoral commissions of Congo and UN [United Nations] for [the elections in] Iraq.”