35 GB of Municipal Data Leaked from Rio dos Índios

The Câmara dos Vereadores de Rio dos Índios (City Council of Rio dos Índios) is a municipal legislative body based in the small town of Rio dos Índios, located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The council is responsible for passing local laws, overseeing the municipal budget, and representing the interests of the residents of Rio dos Índios. As a public institution, it plays a crucial role in the governance of this rural community, which has a population of approximately 2,500 people.

Breach Details

On September 2, 2024, a significant data breach was discovered involving the Câmara dos Vereadores de Rio dos Índios. The breach was publicized on a well-known dark web forum by a user named 0xy0um0m. The forum post indicated that a 35 GB dump of data was leaked from the official website, camaradosindios.rs.gov.br. This data was made available for free to the community, with the leak being categorized under the broader context of Brazilian municipal breaches.

The leaked data includes various documents in PDF format, as well as IMG files. These documents likely contain sensitive information related to the council’s operations, including internal communications, contracts, financial records, and possibly personal data of employees and residents who have interacted with the council.

Threat Actor Profile

The data was leaked by 0xy0um0m, a user with the title "GOD" on the forum, which suggests a high reputation and significant activity in the underground community. The profile of 0xy0um0m indicates 84 posts and 52 threads, which points to a history of engagement in similar activities. While the exact motivations behind the leak are unclear, the free release of the data could indicate an intention to undermine trust in local government institutions or simply to gain notoriety within the hacking community.

Context and Prior Breach Information

This is not an isolated incident within Brazil. Local government bodies have increasingly become targets for cybercriminals due to often lacking the robust cybersecurity measures found in larger institutions. Although there is no public record of prior breaches involving the Câmara dos Vereadores de Rio dos Índios, the increasing trend of cyberattacks on Brazilian municipalities suggests a broader vulnerability within the country's local government cybersecurity infrastructure.