Brazil suspended its mobile phone emergency alert system after a suspected cyberattack triggered false warnings on phones across several states.

The incident occurred early Saturday when at least a dozen unauthorized alerts were sent through Brazil's Civil Defense Alert system, a platform designed to warn residents about imminent threats such as floods, landslides and other natural disasters.

According to a statement from Brazil’s National Protection and Civil Defense Secretariat, the alerts included the word "misanthropy" and were issued at the system's highest emergency level, causing phones to emit loud alarm sounds even when set to silent mode.

The incidents were reported in several regions, including São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Paraná and Mato Grosso do Sul, as well as the Federal District. Because the alerts were activated outside official procedures, authorities said they are still unable to determine how many devices received the messages.

Authorities temporarily suspended the alert platform and blocked external access to the system's Public Alert Dissemination Interface, which is used to distribute emergency notifications.

There is no evidence so far that the core Civil Defense Alert infrastructure suffered "structural damage," according to a statement from Brazil's Ministry of Integration and Regional Development.

The Federal Police are also investigating unauthorized access to the platform, which officials said was "responsible for the deliberate sending of messages with inappropriate content unrelated to real events."

According to preliminary findings, attackers issued 10 unauthorized alerts. Nine were sent using the cell broadcast technology employed by the Civil Defense Alert system, while a tenth was distributed via SMS.

Officials have not identified a suspect, but authorities said the alerts were remotely triggered by an individual who was not part of the national civil defense network. They did not provide a timeline for when the system would be restored.

National Secretary of Protection and Civil Defense Wolnei Wolff said a more secure version of the platform was already under development and would be activated as soon as possible.

"We are handling the case with the utmost technical rigor. Our commitment is to ensure that the alert systems function with complete reliability, guaranteeing the protection of the Brazilian population," he said.

Brazil's Civil Defense Alert system is designed to warn residents about imminent threats such as severe storms, floods, and landslides. The service sends text and audio notifications directly to compatible mobile phones without requiring prior registration and can override silent mode during life-threatening emergencies.