An Garda Síochána, Ireland’s national police service, has confirmed that two of its official social media accounts were hacked. The attackers gained unauthorized access to the @GardaTraffic and @GardaInfo accounts on the platform X (formerly Twitter) and used them to promote a cryptocurrency platform. The accounts, which have a combined following of over 900,000 people, were compromised starting on Wednesday night.
The hackers removed branding from the accounts and posted numerous messages about cryptocurrency, including links to claim rewards. The Garda has assured the public that no unauthorized access to its internal systems occurred and that no data was compromised. However, the posts were seen by thousands of users before being removed by X.
The location of both accounts was changed to Amsterdam, Netherlands, and the @GardaInfo account was rebranded to appear as a support account for a cryptocurrency wallet. The name of this account was later changed to a single full stop. The Garda is conducting an internal investigation and collaborating with X to determine how the breach happened.
Olga Cronin, head of policy at the Irish Council of Civil Liberties, expressed concern over the hack, emphasizing the sensitivity of the information handled by An Garda Síochána. She urged the organization and X to provide a clear explanation to the public as soon as possible to address growing concerns.