IVSS’s official Twitter account was compromised to spread false messages about the president’s health
On June 8, 2016, the official Twitter account of the Venezuelan Social Security Institute (IVSS) was compromised by unidentified third parties. False messages were posted from the account regarding the health of the then-president of the Republic, claiming that he would be placed in a coma due to the severity of his condition and that he was using a wheelchair as a result of an accident. According to documentation from Espacio Público, the account was recovered approximately 25 minutes after the messages were posted, and those responsible were not identified. IVSS President Carlos Rotondaro denounced the hack, described all the messages as false, and attributed it to an alleged “international destabilization plan.”
Impact details
The IVSS Twitter account was used for about 25 minutes to post false messages about the president’s health. The account has been recovered, and there have been no reports that any IVSS service systems or beneficiary databases have been compromised.
Classification & severity
- Category
- Intrusions
- Subtype
- social media account takeover
- Confidence
- High
Espacio Público documents the takeover of the IVSS’s Twitter account for approximately 25 minutes to post false messages; no data breach or operational compromise of the IVSS system has been reported.
Severity assessment
Low- Functional impact
- Minimal
- Information impact
- Integrity loss
- Affected scope
- Single system
- Critical service
- None
- Public confidence
- Limited
- Recoverability
- Regular
The brief takeover of the official Twitter account was used for disinformation purposes; there have been no reports of any compromise of the IVSS service platform or the beneficiary database.
Timeline
The IVSS’s official Twitter account is hacked and used to spread false messages about the president’s health (alleged coma and use of a wheelchair due to an accident).
According to Espacio Público, the account was recovered approximately 25 minutes after the messages were posted.
IVSS President Carlos Rotondaro denounces the hack, calls the messages fake, and attributes it to an alleged international destabilization plot.
Espacio Público publishes an article documenting the incident.