Cyber Incident Victim: Argentine Naval Prefecture
Date:
Aug 2019
Location:
Argentina
Summary
Hackers compromised sensitive government systems, leaking 700 GB of confidential data including Argentine Federal Police biometric information, wiretaps, and officers' personal details. The attackers also hijacked the Argentine Naval Prefecture's Twitter account to disseminate links to the stolen material and spread fabricated claims of a British military assault on national vessels, amplifying the incident's disruptive impact through both data exposure and disinformation.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 1 technique |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On August 12, 2019, hackers breached Argentine government systems and leaked approximately 700 GB of sensitive data. The compromised information included confidential government documents, intercepted wiretap communications, biometric records belonging to the Argentine Federal Police, and personal identification details of police officers. Concurrently, attackers gained unauthorized access to the official Twitter account of the Argentine Naval Prefecture, a maritime security force. The compromised account was weaponized to disseminate direct download links to the stolen data repositories. Additionally, the hackers utilized the platform to broadcast fabricated claims of a British military attack against Argentine naval vessels—an event with no factual basis. The leaked biometric data reportedly included fingerprints and other physical identifiers used for law enforcement authentication purposes.
The incident exposed highly classified government operations and sensitive personal information of law enforcement personnel, creating potential risks of identity exploitation and operational security breaches. The scale of exposed wiretap materials suggested compromise of judicial surveillance operations, while the biometric data leak threatened long-term verification system integrity. The false naval attack narrative propagated through the hacked Twitter account risked generating public panic and diplomatic tensions. No official government response, remediation efforts, or investigative actions were detailed in available public reporting at the time of disclosure. The broader public and institutional reaction to the breach was characterized as notably subdued relative to the severity of the exposed data.