MANILA, Philippines ? The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has launched an investigation into the hacking of government websites as agency investigators suspect a single perpetrator is responsible for the vandalism.

NBI Anti-Fraud and Computer Crimes Division head agent Palmer Mallari said the bureau would investigate the hacking into the websites of the Department of Health, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda), National Disaster Coordinating Council and Department of Social Welfare and Development.

?The same hacker could have defaced the websites although there is a possibility insiders at the agencies committed the vandalism,? Mallari said, adding that the bureau had the means to unmask the perpetrators.

?From the web hosts and creators of the sites, we can identify the IP addresses used by the hackers. We will also be coordinating with the telecommunications sector in this investigation,? he said.

He said the NBI would be able to determine if the government websites were secure or not to begin with.

If the sites were not secure, they would have been vulnerable to hacking. If they were secure, the Internet vandals hacked into the websites simply for the challenge or to prove their skills, Mallari said.

He said authorities are looking at all angles, including commercial, economic and political motives.