(June 21): Brazil’s Integration and Regional Development Ministry and federal police are investigating an intrusion into the civil defenxe alert system that sent messages containing the word “misanthropy” to the mobile phones of millions of Brazilians.
The message was sent as an “Extreme Alert” — used to warn the public about extreme weather — in what was likely the result of a hacker attack, according to the ministry. National Secretary of Protection and Civil Defense Wolnei Wolff told a press conference that 10 alerts were tracked in various Brazilian states. The number of phones affected nationwide wasn’t disclosed.
“It’s difficult to say whether one or more people participated in this criminal act,” said Wolff. “This is very bad for the system, considering that we are dealing with people’s safety when we issue the alert.”
The Civil Defense Alert platform was taken offline at 1:30am on Saturday after the breach. No timeframe has been given for when the system will be back online.
Uploaded by Liza Shireen Koshy
