Extreme Civil Defense alert: what is known about the fake messages sent to cell phones A sound alert classified as extreme by Civil Defense was sent to the cell phones of residents in various cities in Brazil between Friday night (19) and the early hours of this Saturday (20). The messages carried the word "misanthropy", or variations of it, and were unrelated to any real risk situation. In some locations, the warning mentioned a supposed "alien attack". 🗒️ Have a story suggestion? Send it to g1 The episode sparked surprise and confusion on social media, as the term has no relation to weather phenomena or emergency situations. How were the fake alerts sent? Civil Defense alert sent to residents of Mato Grosso do Sul. Reproduction Civil Defense Alert is a platform used to send emergency warnings to the population.
The system uses a technology called Cell Broadcast, which allows messages to be forwarded to mobile phones connected to the cellular network within a specific area. The warnings appear in pop-up format, overlapping the content displayed on the device's screen. In risk situations, they can also emit sound signals to grab the public's attention. National Civil Defense suspects the platform may have been hacked.
According to the agency, the messages were triggered remotely by an unauthorized person and may have been the result of a cyberattack. In addition to the sound alert, residents of Rio de Janeiro reported receiving text messages with unusual content. In one record sent to g1, the message attributed to Civil Defense read: "misanthrope ADRESS RJ dumb af fr". The text, written with spelling errors and lacking context, reinforced suspicions of system failure or misuse.
Meanwhile, in Belo Horizonte, the message read: "Protect yourself: ALIEN ATTACK, HUMANS WE HAVE ARRIVED misanthrope". The case was reported by residents of Curitiba, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Salvador, and Campo Grande. Map of regions that received National Civil Defense alerts Gabriel Wesley Marques Santos/g1 Art What do Civil Defense agencies say? In a statement, the Civil Defense agencies of Paraná, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro stated that they did not issue the messages and that there was no risk situation whatsoever. Speaking to g1, the State Coordination of Civil Protection and Defense of Mato Grosso do Sul (Cepedec-MS) reported that the case is under investigation. The São Paulo State Civil Defense reported early Saturday morning that it temporarily disabled the tool until federal authorities clarify the situation regarding the national Cell Broadcast program. The National Civil Defense informed that the Civil Defense Alert platform was taken offline at 1:30 AM on Saturday after suffering an intrusion.
"The National Secretariat for Civil Protection and Defense of the Ministry of Integration and Regional Development will notify the Federal Police and take steps to bring the system back online as quickly as possible once all security conditions are restored," it stated. (read the full statement at the end of the report). Who will investigate? Still on Saturday (20), the Federal Police opened a preliminary investigation to look into the firing of the fake extreme alerts.
According to the agency, the procedure is already underway. 🔎 A preliminary investigation is a set of initial acts and procedures carried out before or as preparation for the formal opening of a police inquiry. The Ministry of Integration reported that it contacted the Federal Police to investigate the episode. According to the National Secretary for Civil Protection and Defense, Wolnei Wolff, "everything points to" a hacker attack. According to him, 10 fake alerts were triggered.
Of those, nine were sent via the Cell Broadcast system and one via SMS. It is not yet possible to estimate how many cell phones received the notifications. How does Civil Defense Alert work? Civil Defense Alert is a public system created to send emergency warnings to mobile phones located in risk areas.
It is used in situations such as heavy rain, floods, flash floods, waterlogging, landslides, windstorms, and other events capable of placing the population in danger. The technology behind the tool is called Cell Broadcast. Unlike SMS messages or app notifications, it does not send alerts to individually registered numbers.
The warning is broadcast by cell towers to all compatible devices connected to the mobile network within a specific area. This allows Civil Defense to send messages to specific regions, bounded by technical and geographical criteria. For this reason, the system does not require prior registration, an installed app, an active data plan, or an internet connection. The goal is to quickly reach the largest possible number of people in an area at risk. 'Extreme Alert' is the most severe warning The notifications sent this weekend were part of the "Extreme Alert" category, the most severe level in the system, used when Civil Defense identifies threats with imminent risk to life, requiring the population to seek shelter immediately. This is not the first time this category has been triggered.
Anatel maintains a portal that allows tracking of the most recent alerts sent by the system. Among the latest classified as "extreme" is a warning issued on May 31, 2026, to residents of Manaus (AM): "Landslide for Manaus. Stay away from slopes.
Seek safe shelter". Anatel data shows that this same classification was used throughout 2025 in various regions of Brazil for alerts of flooding, lightning storms, landslides, hail, inundations, and gales. In addition to the extreme alert, the system features the "Severe Alert", a lower urgency classification. In such cases, the public has more time to adopt protective measures, according to Civil Defense. What is 'misanthropy'? According to the Michaelis dictionary, misanthropy is the quality of someone who feels aversion, distrust, or rejection toward humanity.
The word can also be used to describe a tendency toward social isolation or a state of profound sadness and melancholy. In practice, a person considered a misanthrope is someone who avoids social interaction or demonstrates disbelief regarding other people. This does not necessarily mean they hate everyone around them, but it may indicate difficulty with social connection or a pessimistic view of human nature. What the National Civil Defense says "The Civil Defense Alert delivery platform was taken offline at 1:30 AM this Saturday (June 20), after suffering an intrusion and triggering an alert to various regions of the country, ordered remotely by someone outside the National Civil Protection and Defense System. The alert triggered was of the Extreme Alert type and contained the word “misanthropy” — which means hatred of humanity.
It is likely a hacker attack. The National Secretariat for Civil Protection and Defense of the Ministry of Integration and Regional Development will notify the Federal Police and take steps to bring the system back online as quickly as possible once all security conditions are restored." READ ALSO: 'Extreme alert' is the system's most severe warning and has been used in other situations Why did the extreme Civil Defense alert reach some neighborhoods and not others? Aliens? Mystery? Shock over National Civil Defense extreme alert turns into a meme Following false alerts, Civil Defense says it will work on system security Why did the alert sound so loud this morning?.
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