Suspected hackers send cryptic "misantropi4" alert to phones across Brazil
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Brazil’s emergency alert system was taken offline after phones in several states received an unauthorized Extreme Alert with the cryptic word “misantropi4.”
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Officials believe the message was likely caused by a hacker attack. The alert was triggered remotely and did not come from inside the National Civil Protection and Defense System.
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Civil Defense officials in affected states said there were no natural disasters or emergencies that justified the warning. The Cellbroadcast alert tool remains temporarily disabled while authorities investigate.
People in several Brazilian states received an unauthorized emergency alert on Saturday morning. The message is now believed to be the result of a hacker attack, according to the Brazilian government.
Brazilian authorities took the country’s emergency alert system offline at around 1:30 a.m. local time after cell phones in several states received an alert with the word “misantropi4.” The spelling refers to the Portuguese word “misantropia” – hatred of humanity. The substitution of the letter “a” with the number 4 is a common practice in hacking communities known as leetspeak (or "1337 speak").
The message was sent as an "Extreme Alert" used to warn the public about extreme weather.
It was first received in the southern state of Paraná before reaching mobile phones in the major cities of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, according to CNN.
Authorities said that the National Civil Defense’s warning platform was taken offline following a suspected hacker attack. They added that the alert, which was triggered remotely, did not come from someone within the National Civil Protection and Defense System.
“The message sent was of the ‘Extreme Alert’ type and contained the word ‘misanthropy’ – which means hatred towards humanity. It is probably a hacker attack,” the agency said in a statement.
São Paulo Civil Defense said the alert was not issued by any of its officials. Authorities are currently unaware of any incident that would have warranted it.
Officials have also temporarily disabled the Cellbroadcast tool used to send severe and extreme alerts while they investigate the origin of the message.
CNN reported that some São Paulo residents received the alert via SMS rather than through the Cellbroadcast platform.
The Rio de Janeiro Civil Defense said the message received by users “results from instability in the IDAP/Cellbroadcast alert sending system, a platform under the responsibility of the National Civil Defense, linked to the Federal Government.” In turn, the State Government of Paraná said the alert was not triggered by the state’s Civil Defense.
Officials in both states clarified that there were no natural disasters or other emergencies that could justify the alert.
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