Brazil probes emergency warning system after nationwide rogue alert


The Brazilian National Secretariat for Civil Protection and Defense (SEDEC) and Federal Police (PF) are investigating a suspected hack of the country’s emergency alert system after an unauthorized “extreme” alert pinged devices across the country.

Defesa Civil Nacional confirmed that its dispatch platform, often used to inform the public about severe weather events, was taken offline in the early hours of Saturday, June 20, after Brazilians reported the alert, which read: “Alerta extremo – Defesa Civil:misantropi4.”

“Misantropia” is Portuguese for misanthropy, hatred of humankind.

Read more…
Source:  The Register


Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter
The latest cyber security news and insights delivered right to your inbox


Related:

  • NSA warns “fast flux” threatens national security. What is fast flux anyway?

    April 4, 2025

    A technique that hostile nation-states and financially motivated ransomware groups are using to hide their operations poses a threat to critical infrastructure and national security, the National Security Agency has warned. The technique is known as fast flux. It allows decentralized networks operated by threat actors to hide their infrastructure and survive takedown attempts that would ...

  • QR codes sent in attachments are the new favorite for phishers

    April 3, 2025

    Recently Malwarebytes Labs researchers have been seeing quite a few phishing campaigns using QR codes in email attachments. The lure and the targets are varied, but the use of a QR code to get someone to visit the phishing site is fast becoming a preferred method for cybercriminals. There are several reasons why cybercriminals might want ...

  • Australian superannuation funds targeted in suspected cyber attacks

    April 3, 2025

    Multiple large superannuation funds have been targeted in suspected cyber attacks that led to some members losing several thousand dollars in retirements savings. Hostplus, Rest, AustralianSuper and Australian Retirement Trust are among the providers targeted. The attacks were discovered over the weekend, and follow rising reports of online security threats in Australia with a cyber ...

  • RolandSkimmer: Silent Credit Card Thief Uncovered

    April 2, 2025

    Web-based credit card skimming remains a widespread and persistent threat, known for its ability to adapt and evolve over time. FortiGuard Labs recently observed a sophisticated campaign dubbed “RolandSkimmer,” named after the unique string “Rol@and4You” found embedded in its payload. This threat actor targets users in Bulgaria and represents a new wave of credit card skimming ...

  • A Rebirth of a Cursed Existence? Examining ‘Babuk Locker 2.0’ Ransomware

    April 2, 2025

    Ransomware remains a major threat, causing significant disruption and financial losses to organizations across various sectors. Cybercriminal groups behind these attacks constantly adapt their methods to maximize damage and profit. In early 2025, Rapid7 researchers came across a channel promoting itself as Babuk Locker. Since the original group had shut down in 2021, they decided to ...

  • Criminal Actors Steal US Taxpayer Identity to File False Tax Returns and Claim Refunds

    April 2, 2025

    The FBI is warning the public about criminal actors stealing US taxpayer identities to file false tax returns and fraudulently claim refunds. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has received over 1,000 complaints about identity theft in connection with tax returns within the past year representing a 26% increase from the previous year. Stolen ...