Garda X accounts seized and redirected to cryptocurrency posts
Official social media accounts belonging to An Garda Síochána suffered an apparent security breach late Wednesday night, resulting in hundreds of posts promoting cryptocurrency.
Scale of the X platform breach and affected follower counts
The breach impacted two major institutional profiles: @GardaTraffic, which commands more than 600,000 followers, and @GardaInfo, which holds nearly 300,000 followers. The Irish Independent reported that the hackers began publishing scores of posts around 11pm on Wednesday, tagging individual users and offering allocations of a cryptocurrency app. While @GardaTraffic removed its profile picture but kept its original username and bio claiming to provide road safety updates, the @GardaInfo handle was altered to @HelpXaman to resemble a crypto wallet support account. Both compromised profiles had their registered locations changed to Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Platform warnings and the unaffected official channels
Warnings have been attached to several posts originating from the compromised profiles because they are linked with another suspended account—a platform penalty that typically triggers for violations regarding spam, malicious behavior, and security risks. Reporting confirms that official Garda accounts on other platforms like Facebook and Instagram have not been hacked and appear to be running as normal.
Response from An Garda Síochána
An Garda Síochána said on Thursday morning that it would issue a statement in due course. Prior to the breach, the affected X profiles featured clear advisories urging members of the public not to use social media channels to report crimes. Authorities have not yet confirmed the exact vulnerability exploited in the takeover.
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