Mexico's defense ministry was target of foreign cyberattack, says president

MEXICO CITY

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Friday that Mexico's defense ministry was subjected to a cyberattack where six terabytes of information were stolen.  

According to Lopez Obrador, the hacker organization is not of Mexican origin, confirming that the attack came from abroad. 

"I understand this group has already done the same thing in other countries. I think it is something that is handled from abroad. It is not from Mexico. Whoever carries out the extraction of the information must be an agency or a group from abroad, unless it is national. I doubt it," said the president during his daily press conference. 

The stolen information partially addresses the various medical conditions afflicting the 68-year-old president, citing that in January, Lopez Obrador was transported through a military aircraft to Mexico City due to a serious heart condition. 

The report states that the president was diagnosed with "high-risk unstable angina". In the press conference, Lopez Obrador confirmed that he was carried to a hospital from his ranch in Palenque, Chiapas to Mexico City because he was at risk of suffering a heart attack. 

"I'm doing very well, and I'm on the lookout. I check myself every three months, every four months. The most delicate thing is hypertension. That's why sometimes I walk and climb hills," he said. 

The "hacked" information was disclosed by controversial journalist Carlos Loret de Mola, a fierce opponent of the current administration of Lopez Obrador. 

Loret de Mola was previously accused of his involvement in the fabrication of news, under the orders of previous governments.

Through the US-based news outlet, Latinus, Loret de Mola explained that the information was extracted by an international group of hackers known as "Guacamaya." 

According to Loret de Mola, the stolen information spans from 2016 to September of this year. 

"This breach of the Army's computer systems constitutes the most serious breach of the Mexican government's cybersecurity in its history," said Loret de Mola. 

For its part, Lopez Obrador said his government has nothing to worry about since much of the illegally retrieved information was already public.​​​​​​​ 

"That is a matter of politics. Our adversaries are wrong, thinking that this is going to hurt us. No, people even reject that. They see it as an intrusion, an invasion of privacy, a lack of respect for people, a petty act, but what can you expect from Loret de Mola?"