Mexican government suffers major data hack, president’s health issues revealed

World 10:02 01.10.2022
The Mexican government said on Friday it had suffered a major cyber hack of data held by the armed forces, including details about President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s heart condition that led to his hospitalization in January.
 
The president, speaking at a regular news conference, said information published in local media overnight from the hack of the Defense Ministry was genuine, and he confirmed revelations about his own health problems.
 
“It’s true, there was a cyber hack,” he said, saying that hackers had exploited a change in the military’s IT systems.
 
According to media reports, the hack accessed six terabytes of data from the Defence Ministry, including information about criminal figures, transcripts of communications, and the monitoring of the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar.
 
The U.S. Embassy did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
 
The hack follows the government’s revelation on Thursday that a military helicopter crash in July that killed 14 people was caused by the aircraft’s running out of fuel.
 
Javier Oliva, a political scientist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, said the leaks pointed to a “very serious show of vulnerability,” especially at a time the military’s role in Mexico was being hotly debated.
 
The hack also revealed the 68-year-old Lopez Obrador has been diagnosed with a form of angina, and had 10 medical consultations in the first half of January.
 
Lopez Obrador, who had a heart attack in 2013, said he was taken to a hospital in January because of the risk he could suffer another one. The government had previously said he underwent a cardiac catheterization that month. Lopez Obrador also said he was taking medicine and doing exercise to help with high blood pressure.
 
“I ended up on a cocktail [of drugs] I take at night for various illnesses,” he said, “but I am very well.”
 
The hack was carried out by a group identified in local media as “Guacamaya” – or “macaw” in Spanish.
 
Lopez Obrador, a vocal supporter of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, said the group was likely of foreign origin.
 
According to Distributed Denial of Secrets, a leaks database, Guacamaya is running a series of hacks targeting security forces in Latin America, and has claimed responsibility for hacks in Peru, El Salvador, Chile and Colombia.
 
A statement from Guacamaya shared on the platform accuses the region’s armed forces of criminal violence and aiding “extractive companies from the Global North.”
 
Carlos Loret, a Mexican journalist and noted critic of the government who first reported details of the leak, said the ministry’s data trove showed how much power the armed forces has acquired under Lopez Obrador, who has tasked the military with everything from building infrastructure to overseeing customs.
 
Lawmakers this month approved legislation extending the armed forces’ remit to fight crime, defying criticism of alleged abuses by the military and concerns the government is militarizing public security.
IEPF issued a statement regarding Azerbaijani children at the UN Human Rights Council

News line

Russia accuses Ukrainian military chief of ordering downing of war prisoner plane
22:10 05.07.2025
Türkiye supports firefighting operations in Syria’s Latakia
22:00 05.07.2025
UNRWA calls for immediate fuel delivery to Israel-blockaded Gaza before shutdown of basic services
21:45 05.07.2025
Pashinyan: Armenia needs new constitution
21:20 05.07.2025
UN chief condemns Russia's recent 'series of large-scale' attacks on Ukraine
21:00 05.07.2025
Kazakh servicemen arrive in Azerbaijan to participate in Tarlan - 2025 exercise
20:45 05.07.2025
Erdogan: US has crucial role in achieving ceasefire in Gaza
20:20 05.07.2025
Building collapse in Pakistan kills 15
19:45 05.07.2025
Turkish FM Fidan to attend 17th BRICS Leaders Summit in Rio de Janeiro
19:30 05.07.2025
Australia pledges $283M for green energy project by explosives maker
19:10 05.07.2025
OPEC+ speeds up oil output hikes, adds 548,000 bpd in August
18:45 05.07.2025
Inter completes signing of Ange-Yoan Bonny from Parma
18:20 05.07.2025
Turkish president sees Zangazur corridor 'as part of the geoeconomic revolution'
18:00 05.07.2025
Turkish president urges Azerbaijan, Russia to show restrain amid tension
17:45 05.07.2025
China says war 'not a solution' to Iranian nuclear issue
17:15 05.07.2025
At least 18 people injured after fire alert on Ryanair plane in Majorca as passengers abandon jet & leap from wing
17:00 05.07.2025
Azerbaijani PM meets with UNESCAP executive secretary
16:45 05.07.2025
Lebanese president affirms coordination with Syria, warns against sectarian tensions
16:15 05.07.2025
21 killed in Israeli strikes on tents, school-turned-shelters in Gaza Strip
16:00 05.07.2025
Turkish construction sector takes on international projects worth $6.2B in first half of 2025
15:45 05.07.2025
Azerbaijani woman wrestler becomes European champion
15:30 05.07.2025
Mayor: Death toll in Russian attacks on Kyiv reached two
15:15 05.07.2025
Texas floods kill 24 people and leave many missing from girls' summer camp
14:45 05.07.2025
Conor McGregor has interest in White House fight after Trump's UFC idea
14:30 05.07.2025
Netanyahu era sees 40% surge in Israeli settlements in occupied West Bank
14:15 05.07.2025
Equatorial Guinea sues France in UN court to block sale of Paris mansion
14:00 05.07.2025
US president 'disappointed' over phone call with Putin
13:45 05.07.2025
Academy of Azerbaijan`s State Security Service hosts graduation ceremony
13:30 05.07.2025
Azerbaijan and Pakistan ink memo in Khankendi
13:15 05.07.2025
Trump says there could be Gaza deal next week
13:00 05.07.2025
First flight from Türkiye to Syria launched
12:45 05.07.2025
US marks its 249th anniversary of independence
12:30 05.07.2025
Azerbaijan's role in regional integration discussed at London conference
12:00 05.07.2025
Uzbek Minister: Mirziyoyev's visit to Azerbaijan crucial for dev’t of transport links
11:45 05.07.2025
Trump says US will start talks with China on TikTok deal this week
11:30 05.07.2025
Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif concludes visit to Azerbaijan
11:15 05.07.2025
Pakistani premier proposes low-emissions corridor at Economic Cooperation Organization summit
11:00 05.07.2025
Rwanda pledges to deliver on its part of US-brokered peace deal with DR Congo
10:45 05.07.2025
Hezbollah rejects calls to disarm before end of Israeli ‘aggression’ against Lebanon
10:30 05.07.2025
Trump says Gaza ceasefire deal may come next week after ‘positive’ Hamas response
10:15 05.07.2025
Hamısı