Government site attacked by hackers

Social Development Secretariat website attacked on March 7, 8 and 9 by a group known as 'Resistencia Cibernética Mexicana'

By BRONSON PETTITT

Mexico Weekly / March 15, 2011

The Social Development Secretariat (Sedesol) said on Tuesday hackers tried to access private information on its website.

The attacks occurred on March 7, 8 and 9, but Sedesol's media office told Mexico Weekly the hackers were unsuccessful in their attempt to steal information from databases containing 308 million “pieces of information” including information on beneficiaries of social development and anti-poverty programs.

The hackers posted a message on the website, which was removed promptly, but Sedesol did not comment on its content.

“Fortunately, [the hackers] were not able to extract or modify substantial or sensitive information,” said a Sedesol statement released on Tuesday.

Resistencia Cibernética Mexicana

Sedesol filed a criminal complaint to the Attorney General's Office (PGR), alleging a group of hackers known as “Resistencia Cibernética Mexicana (RCM)” was responsible for the attack. The secretariat said it also ordered its employees to secure data and increase cyber protection measures.

RCM is reported to have attacked other government websites recently.

In January, an image of a skull above two crossed swords and a message appeared on the home page of the National Council for Culture and the Arts (Conaculta). The message called for an end to crime, violence and homicides in Mexico, according to El Informador.

It said: “This comes as a result of the lack of security in Mexico ... We Mexicans are sick of seeing this (violence) every day not just on TV but on our streets because of the lack of security.”

“With this message, we intend to gain the attention of not just the government, but all of the people (in Mexico), to fight for a better future.”

The group also included the same message and its signature on the home page of the Guerrero government website on Jan. 31, the day of the gubernatorial election in this southern state, La Voz de Zihuatanejo reported.

Symantec, a data protection and IT consulting firm, says more than half of hacking attacks on public organizations are done so out of political reasons.

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