Hackers invade Corinthians website and publish false Lionel Messi signing notice

Hackers invaded Corinthians' official website in the early hours of Saturday (31) and published a false note about the signing of Lionel Messi, identified by the report as an Inter Miami player. According to InfoMoney, the text contained details of the alleged operation and attributed to the athlete the declaration of being happy with his arrival at the club.

The case is not isolated to the week. Also according to InfoMoney, Palmeiras' official portal was also attacked by hackers at the beginning of the week, which points to two football clubs having websites compromised in just a few days.

Hours later, the Corinthians address returned to the air with the message “under maintenance”. Until the publication of the report, the club had not commented on the invasion.

The episode shows how fake news can take on the appearance of an official statement when it comes out of a channel that the public already knows and trusts. The reputational risk falls on the institution affected, but also on those who try to verify the information and on the partners who appear associated with the advertisement.

The facts found do not inform who carried out the invasion, how long the false content was available or the reach of the publication. Without these answers, the case remains restricted to the release of the note and the club's reaction.

What changes for the investor

The facts found do not indicate a direct impact on publicly traded companies. Still, attacks on official channels can weigh on the image of those targeted and on trust in communications. For those who follow companies with sports sponsorships, the point of attention is cyber security and the way in which each company responds to false information published in its name. This analysis is not a recommendation to buy or sell.

Automatically translated from Portuguese.