Cyber Incident Victim: RTVC Sistema de Medios Públicos
Date:
Apr 2025
Location:
Colombia
Summary
RTVC Sistema de Medios Públicos experienced a coordinated distributed denial‑of‑service attack targeting the websites of Señal Colombia, Canal Institucional, Radio Nacional de Colombia, Radiónica, Señal Memoria and RTVCPlay, aiming to saturate servers and cause intermittent outages. The assault followed earlier incidents, including one during a live broadcast of the Ministers’ Council, and was accompanied by a surge in repetitive and nonsensical PQR submissions intended to overwhelm administrative workflows. Officials said the campaign seeks to impair the entity’s ability to cover May Day marches nationwide and is allegedly driven by hegemonic media outlets and opposition groups, posing a threat to press freedom and the public’s right to information.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 2 motives | 1 technique |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On April28, during the live broadcast of the Council of Ministers from the Casa de Nariño, the Public Media System experienced a digital attack. In the hours leading up to the Primero de Mayo coverage on May 1, a new coordinated attack was detected. The attack originated from multiple IP addresses targeting the websites of Señal Colombia, Canal Institucional, Radio Nacional de Colombia, Radiónica, Señal Memoria and RTVCPlay. The attackers sought to saturate the servers to cause intermittencies, outages and generalized disconnections. The goal was to impair the mission of the Colombian Public Media System.
As a result, the affected sites experienced service interruptions that hindered normal access for users. Simultaneously, the Correspondence unit reported a rise in PQR filings that were repetitive, duplicated and requested oversized, nonsensical information, including requests for data from previous years. These patterns were interpreted as an attempt to paralyze the entity both operationally and administratively. In addition, collaborators have faced threats and aggressions attributed to certain hegemonic media outlets and opposition sectors. Such actions endanger the informative work of public radio and television and constitute an attack on press freedom and the right to information of Colombians.
The IT Coordination of RTVC issued a statement describing the ongoing systematic attack and its implications. Despite the pressure, RTVC Noticias and Radio Nacional de Colombia prepared to deploy their technical and human resources for minute‑by‑minute coverage of the Workers’ Day marches across the country. The institution urged the public to tune in and support the Public Informational System through television channels, radio stations and digital platforms. RTVC continues to monitor the situation while maintaining its commitment to deliver uninterrupted service.