Davao regains control of hacked traffic office page

DAVAO ORIENTAL, Philippines – The city government of Davao has taken back control of the official Facebook page of the City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) weeks after it was hacked.

Derf Hanzel Maiz, a consultant at Davao City’s public information office, confirmed the recovery of CTTMO’s hacked Facebook page on Monday, May 22.

CTTMO chief Dionesio Abude said a “foreign hacker” was behind the hacking and posting of inappropriate videos on it, but he did not give further details.

On April 27, hackers seized control of the official Facebook page of Davao’s CTTMO, and defaced the page by uploading explicit videos.

“The hacking had a severe impact on our operations,” said Renato Ortiz, a radio operator at CTTMO, told Rappler earlier.

Davao City police’s cyber response team, led by Police Major Julius Santillana, helped the CTTMO to in recovering the compromised Facebook account.

The local government had also asked the help of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Facebook representatives.

As of Monday, all 21 explicit videos posted by the hacker on CTTMO’s Facebook page had been removed.

Maiz said, “It is concerning how hackers can easily target our Facebook accounts nowadays.”

To mitigate such risks, he recommended the following measures:

• Use strong passwords.
• Enable Facebook’s two-factor authentication.
• Never share the OTP or 2FA code with anyone.
• Exercise caution with third-party apps.
• Stay informed about the latest scams.
• Remain vigilant against phishing attempts. Refrain from clicking any suspicious links online for safety.
• Use trusted devices and networks.
• Regularly monitor the account. – Rappler.com

Ferdinand Zuasola is an Aries Rufo Journalism fellow.