Prefeitura de Paranhos

Summary

A municipal government in Paranhos filed a police report after detecting a cyberattack that resulted in unauthorized access to multiple administrative systems, including SIP-Folha (Human Resources), SCPI (Accounting), and SIA (Taxation). The incident was accompanied by an extortion attempt in which criminals sent an email demanding R$12,000 to prevent the leak of sensitive data they claimed to have obtained, threatening disclosure of compromising files stored on the network if the payment was not made. The Municipal Prosecutor's Office classified the conduct as extortion under Article 158 and unauthorized access to computer devices under Article 154-A of the Brazilian Penal Code, requesting an investigation to identify those responsible and mitigate the damage. As evidence, the extortion emails and files stored on a hard drive were attached to the police report.

Motives

Detailed motive labels are available to members.

TTPs

Detailed technique labels are available to members.

Description

On Wednesday, February 19, 2025, the municipal administration of Paranhos identified a cyberattack that had compromised several information systems used in the daily operations of the city government. According to the Municipal Attorney's Office (Procuradoria Municipal), the affected platforms included the SIP-Folha system, which handles human resources and payroll functions, the SCPI system used for accounting purposes, and the SIA system responsible for municipal taxation. These three systems were accessed in an unauthorized manner, exposing sensitive administrative data to the intruders and disrupting the integrity of the public administration's digital infrastructure.

The incident was accompanied by an extortion attempt directed at the municipal government. Following the unauthorized access, the attackers sent an email to the Prefeitura demanding a payment of R$12,000 in exchange for not leaking the sensitive data they claimed to have obtained. In their message, the criminals stated that they had left compromising files within the municipality's network and threatened to disclose them publicly if the requested amount was not paid. This behavior was classified by the Procuradoria Municipal as extortion, a criminal offense established under Article 158 of the Brazilian Penal Code, which addresses the obtainment of economic advantage through serious threats. Furthermore, the unauthorized access to the municipal systems was characterized as a violation of Article 154-A of the same code, which criminalizes invasion of computer devices.

In response to the discovery of the attack and the extortion demand, the Prefeitura de Paranhos formally registered a police report (boletim de ocorrência) documenting the entire incident. The Procuradoria Municipal requested a full investigation into the case and called for the adoption of all necessary measures to identify those responsible for the attack. As part of the evidentiary process, the emails received from the criminals were attached to the police report, along with files stored on an external hard drive (HD) that contained additional proof of the intrusion and the threats made. The municipal administration sought not only to pursue accountability for the perpetrators but also to implement measures aimed at minimizing the damages caused by the attack and preventing further exposure of sensitive information belonging to the public administration and, potentially, the citizens of Paranhos.

Sources

Sources available to members: 1 source.