Paraguay president's X account hacked by bitcoin fraudsters
On Tuesday, cybercriminals successfully hacked the official X (formerly Twitter) account of Paraguayan President Santiago Peña. The breach was used to disseminate a false announcement, purporting that President Peña had declared Bitcoin as legal tender in Paraguay. The Paraguayan government swiftly confirmed the hack and debunked the fraudulent claim.
- World
- AFP
- Published Date: 11:47 | 10 June 2025
Cybercriminals hacked the official X account of President Santiago Pena to depict him announcing bitcoin as legal tender in Paraguay, the government said Tuesday.
Minister for Information Technology and Communication Gustavo Villate said the hackers used "relatively advanced techniques" to break into Pena's account, which has 425,000 followers, to try make money on bitcoin.
The minister said that the hackers had been identified, without giving details.
The message published on Monday, which has since been deleted, purported to show Pena announcing that bitcoin was now legal tender in the South American country.
"In my capacity as president of the Republic of Paraguay, and after rigorous evaluations, consultations with economic experts, and a careful review of the possible impacts on our gross domestic product, I have enacted legislation that formally recognizes Bitcoin as legal tender in our great country," the post read.
The only country to date to adopt bitcoin as legal tender, with mixed results, is the Central American country of El Salvador.
Pena thanked the government for its "quick and professional action" in scrubbing the post, adding that the incident showed the importance of building a "safe, reliable and resilient digital ecosystem."
The incident comes weeks after a group identified as CyberTeam claimed responsibility for attacks on the IT systems of various Paraguayan state organizations.
The information ministry suspended the planned launch this week of its National Cybersecurity Strategy 2025-2028 over the hacking attacks.