Cyber Incident Victim: Justiça Federal de Pernambuco
Date:
Apr 2022
Location:
Brazil
Summary
A cyberattack disrupted the federal judicial body in Pernambuco, causing widespread system outages affecting all judiciary systems except the PJe 2.x case management platform. The incident disabled the organization's IP telephony (VoIP) services and primary portal, leading to indefinite suspension of virtual and in-person services while processing deadlines were extended. Technical teams responded to restore operations, with a temporary website established to provide limited functionality during the disruption. The attack also impacted other regional federal courts, though Pernambuco's main website eventually resumed operations while other systems remained compromised.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 2 motives | 2 techniques |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On April 6, 2022, the Federal Justice of Pernambuco (Justiça Federal de Pernambuco - JFPE) experienced a cyberattack that caused widespread disruption to its digital infrastructure. The attack targeted the judicial branch's data network, rendering most systems inoperable except for the PJe 2.x platform handling cases from Recursal Panels. Critical services including the institution's main website, VoIP telephone system, and judicial process management tools became inaccessible. The outage immediately suspended all virtual and in-person services across the organization. By April 7, JFPE established a temporary website to provide limited functionality while primary systems remained compromised. The cyber incident also affected procedural timelines, forcing the extension of legal deadlines indefinitely until systems could be restored.
JFPE's IT teams responded immediately to contain the attack and assess damage, though restoration timelines remained uncertain. The organization publicly confirmed the cyberattack through an official communication from its Social Communication Division on April 6 at 11:56 AM local time, explicitly stating the indefinite suspension of operations. While the main website regained partial functionality shortly after the initial outage, core judicial systems and telephony services stayed offline. The disruption created operational paralysis, halting case processing and public access to judicial services. No restoration timeline was provided as of April 7, when the temporary portal launched, leaving all non-PJe 2.x operations suspended indefinitely with ongoing IT recovery efforts.