Cyber Incident Victim: Hot Manila
Date:
Jan 2015
Location:
Philippines
Summary
Hackers affiliated with Blood Security Hackers International compromised a journalist's satirical website, Hotmanila.ph, to post a threatening message criticizing the Philippine president for perceived disrespect toward 44 slain police officers, specifically citing his absence from arrival honors and tardiness at memorial services. The attack occurred after the journalist published questions about a controversial clash, with the hackers previously targeting a telecom operator to demand accountability; public outrage over the incident manifested in trending social media hashtags condemning the president's delayed response.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 1 technique |
| Threat Actor | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 actor | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On January 31, 2015, the satirical political website Hotmanila.ph, operated by journalist Alan Robles, was compromised by the group Blood Security Hackers International. The attackers replaced the site's content with a message directed at Philippine President Benigno Aquino III (referred to as "PNoy"), condemning his absence during arrival honors for 44 Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) officers killed in the Mamasapano clash. The hackers specifically criticized Aquino for failing to attend the official ceremony at Villamor Air Base and arriving late to the subsequent necrological service, framing these actions as disrespect toward the fallen officers. Their defacement message demanded "respect and justice" for the slain personnel, known publicly as the "Fallen 44." This incident occurred shortly after Robles published content questioning official accounts of the Mamasapano operation, a timing connection noted by his wife, journalist Raissa Robles. The compromised website remained publicly visible long enough to draw significant attention before being acknowledged by its owner.
Alan Robles confirmed the breach via his Twitter account, expressing surprise that his personal blog attracted enough visibility to warrant such an attack. The hack amplified existing public criticism of Aquino's handling of the Mamasapano incident, with netizens concurrently trending hashtags like #NasaanAngPangulo ("Where is the President?") and #LateAngPangulo ("The President is Late") on social media platforms. No technical details about the intrusion method or duration of downtime were disclosed by the affected parties. Blood Security Hackers International had previously demonstrated similar capabilities by defacing a telecommunications company's website to demand accountability for service issues, establishing a pattern of politically motivated digital activism. The Hotmanila.ph defacement represented a targeted use of cyber tactics to amplify dissent during a period of heightened national tension surrounding the SAF casualties, though no data theft or secondary disruptions beyond the initial website takeover were reported in available sources.