The state election watchdog blocked an Internet Protocol(IP) address and requested an investigation by law enforcement after verifying a cyber attack against an election statistical system on its official website.

In a notice on Wednesday, the National Election Commission(NEC) said the statistical system was attacked for around three hours from 2:40 p.m. the previous day.

The NEC said the attack was initially detected during monitoring of its integrated control and information protection systems, adding no damage occurred after it swiftly moved to restrict the IP address in question.

The watchdog said while it has reinforced monitoring, there is no sign of further abnormality.

Emphasizing that it is taking the matter very seriously, especially as the 21st presidential election is only some 40 days away, the NEC said it has requested the police to investigate the attack.