Hackers from outside the country have been carrying out cyberattacks on social media accounts belonging to Mexican government departments and officials, the Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection (SSPC) reported on Monday.

“This account has been hacked due to the owner’s corruption,” is one message that the hackers have posted upon taking complete control of the accounts.

After the initial message, attackers post anti-corruption statements.

First to be hacked was the Jalisco Attorney General’s Office, where threats were made on Friday against President López Obrador, the newspaper El Universal reported, followed by a warning that the hacker was fighting corruption.

“Police in different countries are looking for me for hacking corrupt pieces of shit. Do what you want, I shall continue fighting these sons of bitches.”

Next up was the Quintana Roo Secretariat of Security, which was hacked on Saturday.

The SSPC reported that the attacks originated in Spain, Guatemala, El Salvador and Panama.

“However, it is believed that the attacks will extend to other countries in the following hours, as the campaign appears to take on an increasing number of participants,” the report detailed.

So far, the cyberattacks have been confined to Twitter, but the SSPC warned that accounts on all social media networks are potentially at risk.

“Although the reported attacks have all been on Twitter, we cannot rule out the possibility that the hackers will target any social media of officials with weak security on their electronic profiles,” the agency reported.

In response, the department issued a series of security recommendations via the scientific department of the Federal Police. Among them were changing passwords and installing up-to-date antivirus software on computers and mobile devices. They warned officials not to download applications or documents from untrustworthy internet sources, and advised them to update their privacy settings on their social media accounts.

Lastly, the SSPC recommended the implementation of an awareness campaign in order to educate government officials of the reality of cyberattacks that can put their personal and institutional images at risk.

Source: El Universal (sp)