The Philippine National Police announced on Friday that the hackers who leaked data from a recent ransomware attack against the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation may face up to 20 years of imprisonment.

PNP spokesperson Police Colonel Jean Fajardo in an online interview said that the hackers committed a crime punishable under Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

"Unauthorized access to a computer system is a criminal offense, and the hacker could face both criminal charges and civil liability for damages," Fajardo said.

"Hacking and other illicit computer-related acts such as illegal access, illegal interception, data interference, system interference, and misuse of devices which includes unauthorized use of passwords, access codes, or similar data are all punishable with six to 12 years imprisonment and fines. Reclusion temporal for Illegal Access since PhilHealth can be considered as critical infrastructure," she added.

The PNP spokesperson also said that the penalty of reclusion temporal shall be from 12 years and one day to 20 years and those who will be found guilty may face up to a P10-million-fine.

To recall, the Department of Information and Communications Technology on Thursday said that hackers have leaked the compromised data from the ransomware attack against PhilHealth.