security
Brazil probes emergency warning system after nationwide rogue alert
Severe weather event alert platform buzzed devices across the country with the word 'misanthropy'
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.
The message reached an unknown number of devices, with reports coming from São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Paraná, and the Federal District.
