Brazil's Civil Defense agency announced on Saturday that it temporarily suspended the mobile emergency alert system following a suspected cyberattack that triggered a series of false warnings across the country overnight.
False Alarms Cause Widespread Confusion
The alerts, sent between Friday night and Saturday morning, caused widespread confusion and prompted complaints from residents who reported being awakened by the loud emergency notifications. The system is normally reserved for major disasters and public safety emergencies, making the unauthorized alerts particularly alarming.
In a statement, the agency said the suspicious message was issued as an "Extreme Alert" and included the word "misanthropy," a term referring to hatred of humanity. Authorities believe the notification may have been the result of a hacker intrusion, according to AFP.
Remote Activation by Unauthorized Individual
According to the civil defense, the false alerts were transmitted to multiple regions of Brazil after being activated remotely by an individual outside the National System of Protection and Civil Defense. The agency has requested assistance from the Federal Police to investigate the incident.
The agency added that the alert network will remain offline until additional security measures are implemented and the system can be safely restored. No further details about the cyberattack have been released, but officials are working to prevent similar incidents in the future.
